Guardian of the Forest
by Gamerdude
Summary: This is the same story I have on Fanartcentral. Read and find out what happens. (Rated PG because of violence.)
1. Guardian of the Forest Part 1: Chapter 1

The only character I own in this story is Fangor/Green Lightning. Thoughts will be in _italics_. The words of the sages will be in **bold** print. Sorry if I get the accents for Bunny and Anthonie wrong. This story is about the bonds of friendship and how it can influence even the strongest warrior to act selflessly to save that person from death. The story starts in Knothole and is done from Fangor's POV (point of view) throughout most of the story. It is probably going to be the best work I have done so far, so please review. And I must warn you: This story contains HEAVY violence. I will be listing the main characters' respective ages and birthdays at the beginning of each chapter (if any of their ages have changed) and possibly a quote by the Kintushian sages. Well, time to begin the story of: The Guardian of the Forest

Chapter 1: The Guardian

Character ages:

Fangor Thunderbolt: 16-February 18 ( he stays this age throughout the entire story)

Miles 'Tails' Prower (his nickname comes from his two tails): 1 week-January 30

Sally Acorn: 6-may 3 (but she is quite mature for her age)

Sonic Hedgehog: 8-August 9 (again very mature for his age, although highly competitive when it comes to speed)

Amy Rose: 6-August 19 (again, quite mature but also a little stubborn sometimes. Also has a BIG hammer)

Rotor (good at working with and making machines): 7- November 9

Bunny Rabbot: 7-January 8 (again quite mature and has a southern accent)

Anthonie: 7-April 17 (again mature, but with a French accent)

Geremy 'Miracle' Prower (named that because of how much trouble he usually gets into and somehow always pulls out of it): 32-July 8

Martha 'Keg' Prower (named that because during swatbot attacks she was usually seen throwing kegs at them): 28-March 6

**If there is any power stronger than justice, it is friendship and love. Combined with justice, they cannot be stopped. Such is the power of the Guardian. ** The counsel of the 8 Kintushian sages

FEBRUARY 7

It took just one thought to summarize my assignment: _Why me?_ It was night and the king of Knothole had put me on night duty for once because I was the strongest warrior there and the king felt there would be an attack that night. The king knew I couldn't see at all in the dark, hated the dark, and hated snow, but the king had sent me anyways. I had just finished checking on the eastern quadrant and was walking to the western quadrant. _Sure seems empty and quiet. Seems like the king's suspicions were wrong._ I thought. Just as I was nearing the forest at the western edge of Knothole, I smelled it. _Fire?_ It was too good to be true then. _Seems like it's coming from the Prowers' residence… well I had better check it out._

I turned the corner of the street I was on and headed for the Prowers' residence at the western edge of town. What I saw and heard that night, I would never forget. As I rounded the corner I heard a scream. _That's Miracle! They're in trouble!_ I picked up the pace, not daring to run for fear it would spread the flames. When the house finally came into sight, it was nothing but fire. I saw 2 figures being thrown through the window. One was Miracle, badly burned, but it was definitely him. He had a cape that I had given him the year after I came here. The other was Keg, clutching something and also badly burned. I knew what she was clutching. It was their week old son Miles. I ran over to them hoping they were still alive. _Oh god! Please don't let them be dead!_ Miracle knew I would come. I had a habit of coming when I was desperately needed. I kneeled down to check their pulses. _Faint._ I thought. _But still there._ Just then Miracle reached up and grabbed my shoulder. I looked down to his burned body. "Fangor," he said, with much pain in his voice, " I'm afraid my luck has finally run out. I need you to promise us two things." "Yes sir?" I replied, knowing that his words were true. "First," he continued, " We want you to find a good home for Miles, and second," he coughed, spewing up blood, " We want you to promise him the 'Guardian's oath' before we die. Please fulfill our final requests." I had no choice. I took the child from Keg, looked down at him, and recited: " I am the shield that blocks the sword; the sword that smites your enemies; the light that pierces the darkness;" right then a light from the heavens started shining on the child that I held in my arms, " And the friend you will never lose, even if others abandon you. Such is the one who takes the 'Oath of the Guardian'." Keg looked at me and said, " Thank you, Fangor. Now, we can rest in peace…" That was the last I heard from either of them. If it weren't for my great control over my emotions, I would have lost it right there. But the situation called for me to keep my head cool. _Fear not, Miracle. I will guard your son with my life. Worry no more, Keg. I will find your son the best home I know of._ I knew they were dead. I could not just leave them there, nor could I bury them. So I did what I could: I ran to Bunny Rabbot's house and woke her up, telling her to wake Anthonie and Rotor. "What's wrong Guardian?" she asked me sleepily. " The Prowers' residence is on fire. They didn't survive it. The blaze must be put out before it spreads." She understood and proceeded to wake the rest of the town. I then walked to the palace to awaken the king along with Sally Acorn and Sonic Hedgehog.

"What do you speak of? The Prowers' house set ablaze? This is hard on you I know, but it is not cause for panic. They probably made it out safely like they always do." Stated the king when he was notified. I replied, resisting the urge to let my anger have it's way: " I am sorry, but they were burned badly before they got out. Only Miles survived. I am surprised he was untouched by the blaze. He is why I am here. Before Miracle and Keg died, they made me promise two things. The first was to give him a good home. That is why I am here to see your daughter Sally Acorn and her friend Sonic Hedgehog." The king looked saddened by the news of Miracle and Keg's demise. They had been great heroes to Knothole. He now gave me the answer I was hoping for. " Well, seeing as how you have no idea of how to take care of children, I will allow him to be placed in the care of my daughter and her friend. What was the other request they have given you?" I looked down at the child, still asleep in my arms. " The Guardian Oath sir." He knew about this ancient magic from what I had told him two years ago, when I had arrived here and brought to the palace to be welcomed and offered a job in the royal army or the town security force. I chose the security force because, although I was a prince where I came from, I hated war and liked protecting people.

He got up from his throne, looked at the child in my arms, looked at me, sighed, then said: " If you have given him the Guardian's Oath, then I have no choice but to fulfill their request. I will take him to my daughter. You may return to your house now. Your night duty is done." With that I took one last look at Miles, still asleep, handed him to the king, and walked out of the palace, absolutely certain that the fox was safe from harm for quite a while, and not knowing that I would save him more than once.

Read & review people! I even accept bad reviews!


	2. Guardian of the Forest Part 1: Chapter 2

The only character I own in this story is Fangor, Green Lightning (will appear in next chapter) and their dark sides (will appear in part 3). Thoughts will be in _italics_. The words of the sages will be in **bold** print. Sorry if I get the accents for Bunny and Anthonie wrong. This story is about the bonds of friendship and how it can influence even the strongest warrior to act selflessly to save that person from death. The story starts in Knothole and is done from Fangor's POV (point of view) throughout most of the story. It is probably going to be the best work I have done so far, so please review. And I must warn you: This story contains HEAVY violence. I will be listing the main characters' respective ages and birthdays at the beginning of each chapter (if any of their ages have changed) and possibly a quote by the Kintushian sages. Well, time to continue the story of: The Guardian of the Forest

Chapter two: The Party

Character ages:

Fangor Thunderbolt: 16-February 18

Miles 'Tails' Prower: 5-January 30

Sally Acorn (called 'Aunt Sally' by Tails): 11-may 3

Sonic Hedgehog: 13-August 9

Amy Rose: 11-August 19

Rotor: 12-November 9

Bunny Rabbot: 12-January 8

Anthonie: 12-April 17

Shadow (signs up for the security force and, like in many other stories, becomes Sonic's rival): 13-March 26

Knuckles (like Shadow, signs up for the security force and becomes Sonic's rival): 13-June 9

Rouge (a thief-turned-treasure hunter since the king was willing to pay good money to recover artifacts for the palace.): 12-June 17

Dr. Quack (the best doctor in Knothole): 37-April 29

**The power of friendship leads to great things. It leads to strange happenings. It leads to a stronger bond of friendship, and strengthens the Gaurdian that has applied the 'Guardian's Oath'. Such is the way of the Gaurdian**. -The counsel of the 8 Kintushian sages

Almost 6 years after the incident…

JANUARY 28

I was sleeping. I heard voices in my room, which told me that Tails, who had taken a liking to me, as I had to him, was now awake and talking to Sonic, Shadow (recent arrival), Knuckles (another recent arrival), and Sally, completely oblivious to the fact I was still trying to sleep. I decided to wake up since I obviously could not return to the realm called 'dreams'. I sat up and opened my eyes. I blinked a few times to gain my focus. I checked the calendar. _Hmm… January 28 already… JANUARY 28?!?!??! That leaves me only 2 days to salvage some machine parts to give to Tails as his birthday present!_ I knew of his interest in machines, so I decided the best birthday present I could give him would be machine parts. Not TOO hard… all I have to do is head down to Ronutnik's base, smash some swatbots, take the parts, and run like heck back to here. This was an easy item to get, especially since I was many times faster and stronger than a normal Kintushian. And, like all Kintushians, I possessed 3 retractable claws between the knuckles on each hand that led into my arms and grew depending on my age. Currently they could reach up to 16 feet. Good enough for taking out swatbots. My speed would allow me to do it undetected.

I stretched and yawned, attracting everyone in the room's attention. "good morning Fangor!" greeted a cheerful Tails. "Morning Tails. Morning all. Umm Tails? Might I ask that you go outside to talk to our friends whenever I am still asleep in the mornings?" Tails replied looking out the window, " but it was raining outside and I was sure we wouldn't wake you." He drooped his head, "Sorry." My eyes widened and a smile spread across my face. " It's raining outside? (I loved the rain. It always soothed my nerves) Why didn't yall wake me up sooner?!" I bolted out the door before anyone could answer and also before my covers could hit the mattress. Shadow had grabbed Tails so he would not fly into the wall with the force of the wind in my wake. I had decided that since I was out I would, shall we say, pay Robotnik a little 'visit'. I took off at maximum speed reaching his base dismantling a few swatbots, and returning to Knothole in less than a second. I stopped in the middle of town and walked to Rotor's machine shop to store the machine parts for Tails. Rotor was not the least bit surprised at what I had brought, nor how late I had brought it. "late again eh, Bolt?" Rotor greeted as I entered with the parts being dragged behind me. I smiled, knowing I didn't have the best reputation for being on-time. " You actually expected me to be early?" I joked. "Well, see if you can make something useful out of those parts for Tails." The young fox had quickly become my best friend by my account. I left and headed to the palace to get my orders for the day.

After I arrived in the throne room (Bunny Rabbot was already there, as usual) the king wore the familiar look that basically asked: late again eh? I strode up to where he and Bunny stood looking at me with the look that was all too familiar to me. I smiled as I waited for the king to give me my orders for the day. He gave them, but what he said I had not expected. " Fangor, Bunny, your orders are to take a vacation until a week after Tails's birthday." This had caught me off-guard. I looked at Bunny and by the look on her face, you'd of thought Robotnik was gone and Mobius had been restored to what it had been before Robotnik. I asked the king, "Are you serious sir? THAT much time off from duty?" He nodded. I thanked him, and told them that I had finally taken the time to get Tails his birthday present. They knew what I had gotten him. With that I headed out the door happily.

When I got to my house I found Tails and the others there still talking, until Tails noticed me coming, WITHOUT my uniform. He had the same look on his face as Bunny had. Everyone noticed that he took his attention from the conversation and turned towards the door. "Hi all. I guess the secret's out huh?" I was smiling too. This was my first big vacation in quite a while. I felt a prickle on my neck meaning that after Tails's birthday party, something was going to happen. I knew it was nothing bad (otherwise it would have been an intense pain instead of a small prickling), but something was going to happen. "Hi Bolt! I see the king let you have a vacation huh?" Tails said, still beaming. I looked at everyone that was staring at me and replied, " Of course, little buddy! You think he would let me miss your birthday and risk making me angry?" They all laughed at that. They knew it was not a wise idea to anger me. I was the reason why all the gang activity ended. I had either turned in or killed all of the gangs that had arisen in town.

That day passed quickly with the only other big event being Shadow and Sonic racing through Knothole. I went to bed at the same time Tails had (9 pm to be exact) and fell asleep just as Sally had come in to tell him his nightly bed-time story. Like usual, I did not have a dream. Not even a nightmare or a vision. I slept soundly until the sun came in through the window. I woke up and gave my standard stretch-and-yawn routine. I looked over to Tails bed and noticed he wasn't there. I looked out the window and noticed the rain had stopped, meaning he was probably out playing tag with the others. I got out of bed and started for the door only to be stopped by a rumbling in my stomach. Figures. Been at least 2 days since I last ate. I cast the spell that I had used many times to get a good meal quickly: "IN POR YLEM!" I yelled. This was the 'create food spell' that I used every now and then. I didn't really need to eat. I just did so to be polite. What appeared was my favorite food: a bowl of mashed potatoes and a plate of hot-rolls. I had hoped for this. _Hehe. Perfect this time._ I thought to myself. After I had finished my meal, which tasted great due to me being in a good mood. Otherwise, it would have tasted bad. I finished eating and made the plate and bowl disappear, once again using my magic, and headed outside.

_One day left… better see if they need my help setting up the decorations…_ Like always they didn't want to give me the burden of messing with such things. I decided that since I was not needed at the moment I would go scout out the town for renewed gang activity even though I was off duty. I checked the ENTIRE town North to South, East to West, even in the forest. Nothing. I was feeling kind of bored since there was nothing else for me to do at the moment. I decided to see if the king had changed his mind, but to no avail. It was going to be a long day. I decided to wander through the town aimlessly hoping I would run into some trouble or Sonic and Shadow or Knuckles in another fight. Not even that happened. Disappointed, I decided to go back to bed hoping that I wouldn't wake up till I woke up in the morning. Not even one bit of sleep. I was bored and irritated. Combat had been the only thing that had kept me going for a while. Now that I was off-duty I had nothing to do. I just lied down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. " What's wrong, Bolt?" came a familiar voice from the door. Amy Rose. "Nothing to do. Ugh." I moaned. She left me to my thoughts.

I decided that I had better make sure that I had memorized my entire collection of spells and marked all my runes in the right places. People didn't even look up as I popped in and out without the usual large wind that knocked almost everyone in the area off their feet. Well, I had spent quite a few hours making sure I knew my spells and had my runes properly marked, and it was just the thing to pass the time. When I returned it was 9:10 pm. _Uh-oh._ I thought. _Sally is going to have my head for this._ She had not only had a curfew put on Tails to make sure he got plenty of sleep, but also on me to make sure I was always there when he went to bed. Like I expected, Sally was there with that familiar frown on her face that meant I had missed the curfew. "What am I going to do with you?" She sighed knowing it was a tough day for me since I had nothing to do, due entirely to my vacation. "Sorry Sally. I guess I lost track of time checking my runes and making sure I knew my spells. I guess I need to get a watch of some sort." Sally just smiled and moved out of the way so I could enter the house. When I went in Tails was sleeping soundly, regardless that he kept saying 'chilidogs!' and licking his lips in delight. I smiled at this, knowing his favorite food was going to be one of the many things served at the party tomorrow. I lied down, Sally shut the door, and I went to sleep.

In the morning, I woke up with my standard routine. I looked at Tails's bed seeing he was still having the same dream. Sally had already attached the note for Tails to the door. It read: 'Tails, please come to the palace. It is urgent. -Sally Acorn. I knew that I had to be careful not to wake Tails while opening or closing the door, so I opened it very slowly and shut it just as slow. I then walked all the way to the palace. When I got there I was grabbed as I rounded the corner. My stalk eyes glanced around to face my attacker. It was Knuckles. He had grabbed me so that we would all be hidden when Tails got there. Rotor had already set up the mechanisms that would cause the party decorations to appear once the king had given the signal.

I decided it was time for me to dispense the invisibility potions I had prepared. Each of us faded out of sight once we had drunk them. Then Tails arrived, still groggy from just waking up. He looked around while heading up to the throne, looking for Sally. He usually wasn't called here unless he was in trouble. I noticed he had his ears slightly drooping meaning he thought he was in trouble for something. _Boy is he in for a surprise._ I thought to myself. He marched up to the throne his head hanging. " I assume you have received Sally's message Tails?" The king stated. Tails gulped. "Y-y-y-yes sir." The king looked down at him and asked, "Do you know why you are here?" Tails looked scared. " n-n-no sir." " Then how about we find out?" Stated the king. Right on cue all of the party decorations appeared behind Tails without him noticing. Everyone except for me moved, dispelling their invisibility. Then I moved dispelling my own invisibility. We all silently counted to three, then all of us, king included, shouted: " HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAILS!" He turned around so fast you would think Sonic had just run by him. He was very relieved when he saw all his friends standing at the entrance to the palace and all of the party decorations, food, and the tables and chairs already out. He breathed a sigh of relief. " Hi guys!" We immediately made our way to the tables, while the rest of the town was filing in. All our favorite foods were already on the tables, courtesy of my magic enchantments on the tables. Every chair had someone's name on it, depending on who their friends were. I had a chair next to Tails. I automatically dove into my favorite dish like it was about to run away the moment I sat down. Everyone saw this and started laughing. I hardly cared. This was the best food I had ever tasted. Everyone remarked that I had outdone myself this time. I simply replied, "Nothing is too good for my friends." They all agreed with me. After everyone had eaten the main course, (Tails and Sonic had gone through about one hundred chilidogs each), it was time for the cakes that had been prepared by Bunny, Sally, and Amy (I decided it should be cakes not made by magic). After the meal, it was time for Tails to open his presents. He beamed each time he opened one, seeing that the contents was something he liked. When he opened the gift I had Rotor put together, he was ecstatic. I knew exactly what Rotor would need to make Tails what he had been wanting for quite a while: a hoverboard (once again my magic played into this).

After the celebration, I headed outside to make my rounds, even though I was off duty. I headed for the house that Tails and I lived in, and what I saw was quite unexpected. It was an eerie white glow coming from the bedroom (first room you walked in when entering). I walked in seeing Tails staring up at it curiously. I decided to examine the glow by hand. I approached and when I came within a few feet of it, it disappeared. I decided that we were just seeing things. Then I saw it again. Right behind Tails. The light immediately took up a position between the two of us. Fearing that this would harm the one I swore to protect, I grabbed Tails quite quickly, ran out the still open door, and as I got to the center of the town I tripped over a rock. Tails was sent sailing out of my hand. Again, the light took a position between us. Now I decided that I had better try to fight whatever this was. Before I had a chance to act though, the white light suddenly arced a strange lightning between us, sending him in one direction, and me in another. I then remembered what this light was, just before I blacked out.

Read & review people! Even bad reviews are acceptable!


	3. Guardian of the Forest Part 1: Chapter 3

The only character I own in this story is Fangor, Green Lightning (will appear this chapter) and their dark sides (will appear in part 3). Thoughts will be in _italics_. The words of the sages will be in **bold** print. Sorry if I get the accents for Bunny and Anthonie wrong. This story is about the bonds of friendship and how it can influence even the strongest warrior to act selflessly to save that person from death. The story starts in Knothole and is done from Fangor's POV (point of view) throughout most of the story. It is probably going to be the best work I have done so far, so please review. And I must warn you: This story contains HEAVY violence. I will be listing the main characters' respective ages and birthdays at the beginning of each chapter (if any of their ages have changed) and possibly a quote by the Kintushian sages. Well, time to continue the story of: The Guardian of the Forest

Chapter 3: The 'other' two-tailed fox

**The power hidden within, much like the one he has guarded, will bring him one of the happiest times of his life. With the 'light of fate' morphing spell sent to him, he will finally be happy when he has nothing to slay. Such is the way of the guardian.** -The counsel of the 8 Kintushian sages

1 week later…

FEBRUARY 7

I woke up, but I was not lying on the ground. I was in a place I had never been before. And, one more thing? I felt like I had the energy drained from me and I also felt like I was different from yesterday. I opened my eyes to see where I was and why I felt so different and drained. I tried to sit up to get a better look at everything, but something was weighing it down. I tried to move my stalk-eyes to see what was weighing me down, but to my amazement, they weren't there. I also felt my wings and claws were gone. I moaned in disappointment. Then I heard a gruff familiar voice: " You okay, Bolt?" I knew who it was: Shadow. One of the three people I least expected to be there when I woke up. I tried to lift myself into a sitting position using my arms, but the rest of me was too weak. Well, at least my arms work. I thought as I reached out yawning in my usual manner. Finally, I responded: " Ugh… I feel like I just got Robotnik's base dropped on me. Since when did you care?" " Amy made me keep an eye on you. I signed up for the security force! Not a babysitting service! Well, the others will be here in a moment." I heard the door open and heard some footsteps coming in. I slightly knew who had just walked in. I thought it was just seven people. In reality, it was eight. The nurse apparently noticed I had woken up, because my eyes were half open, due to my mood of feeling so helpless. " I see you are awake Mr. Thunderbolt. You had us quite worried when we found you. You weren't yourself when we Tails came to us with your body. You were immediately taken to the hospital, and Dr. Quack determined that you had no nutrients in you body whatsoever. He knew it was you, because of the sword in it's sheath on your back. We removed it so that we could get some much needed nutrients into your body, but that did nothing for your strength. It appears that the only thing that will restore your strength will be eating. So may I ask that you please sit up?" I replied with a look of pain on my face. Shadow answered her for me: " He doesn't have enough strength in his body to sit up. Is there another way he would be able to eat?" At this one of the people that had come through the door came over to the bed and pressed a button and the head of the bed lifted until I was sitting in a relaxed sitting position. I noticed everyone around me, Amy, Sally, Tails, Sonic, Knuckles (who had enough pity to push the blasted button), Shadow, Bunny, and the nurse, all staring at me like I had changed greatly. I tried to move my head to look at myself, but I couldn't. "Sonic, see if you can go cook some food for him." That was Sally. "Sure thing Sal!" Sonic replied just before he sped off. It took less than a minute to get back, but apparently what he brought back was not edible, judging from Sally and Amy's reaction: " Sonic Hedgehog! You still haven't learned how to cook?!" and with that Sonic had run off again being chased by Sally and Amy with her hammer.

About an hour later, Sally and Amy returned, along with a familiar smell: Hot rolls and mashed potatoes and gravy! Immediately my stomach started roaring like a lion, which brought a laugh out of everyone, including Knuckles. They immediately set the bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy and the plate of hot rolls on a bed table in front of me and jerked their hands back, knowing what was going to happen. I dove into the hot rolls and mashed potatoes and gravy like I had so many of my enemies, satisfying my hunger quickly. After I was done I felt my strength return to me. Then someone moved a full-length mirror near the bed. I hopped down from the bed, which happened to be a long fall for my height ( it was a 6 foot tall bed and I was a little shorter than 2 feet now), hit the floor on my knees, stood up, gazed into the mirror and was surprised at what I saw.

I looked almost exactly like Tails. The only difference was his fur was orange with white, along with having shoes that were red and white, like Sonic's. I saw, in the mirror, a fox with green and gold fur (respective to Tails's fur), green and gold shoes (respective to Tails's shoes.), and just like Tails: two tails. I sat down in shock. Even my knowledge of such magic could not have prepared me for this. I tapped into the morphing power inside of me, and in less than a second I was my normal self again. I used the same power, expecting it not to work, and, once again, I was the same green and gold two tailed fox. I looked up at the group who seemed so much taller now that I had shrunk to Tails's size. I smiled, liking this new body, which, for some reason, didn't seem to crave combat. Everyone was still looking at me as with waiting for me to respond. I finally broke the silence. " I feel just fine now, just a little shocked that's all." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Just then Sonic decided it was safe to show up again. There was no mistaking the sound of him running down the halls. I looked up at the bed to see if I could jump up to it. I noticed there was no way I would be able to jump into the bed from down on the floor. It was at least three times as tall as I was, making it impossible to jump up there. I tried to climb up, but still no luck. Then I decided to just come around the corner to where Sonic was. He looked a little surprised to see me up and about so quickly. I just smiled. "So, how're ya feelin'?" he greeted with the same tone he used with all his friends. "Just fine, except for feeling so short now." Everyone laughed at that. Then I asked two questions: " how long have I been out?" " About a week Mr. Fangor." Replied the nurse. That meant my break would be over tomorrow. Then my second question: " Am I free to leave now?" The nurse looked at the others, they all said it was ok, and the nurse let me go. " better hang on to something guys, I'm going all out!" I warned. Immediately the all headed for the bed, right before I blew out of the room at top speed, which even light would have lost a race to. I made it out the door with no trouble at all, blowing through it like a flash of green lightning. I immediately 'morphed' into my kintushian self, made my rounds at normal speed, checking the usual locations, 'morphed back' then headed for the house.

When I got there though, I was disappointed at the fact that the bed was as tall here as it was in the hospital, and I had no intention of going back to my Kintushian body just to get into bed. I tried jumping up to it. Didn't work. I tried climbing up the mattresses. Again, it didn't work. So I decided to wait for someone to come to help. It didn't take as long as I thought it would for someone to arrive. The first person through the door was Amy Rose. She came in with the rest of the gang that had been at the hospital. She told me the good news: " The king just granted me permission to start a school in town! I would like for you to attend the classes to keep the bullies from getting out of hand. Could you do this please?" I simply replied: "It depends on what the king says. If he allows it, then yes I will keep the bullies from making a nuisance of themselves." Everyone laughed at this. Then Amy said "I already asked the king. He said you could as long as you still fulfilled your promise to Miracle and Keg." I replied: "Not a problem Amy. As long as you all don't mind me using this form whenever I am not in combat." They could tell it had not taken long for me to take a liking to it. Everyone looked at Sally, as she was the princess and would take over ruling in the absence of the king. She nodded, " On one condition: you will have to go to bed when Tails does. Understood?" I nodded my head and saluted, "Understood Sally." With that I turned around to get into bed then frowned remembering how much taller it seemed in this form. I tried to jump into it, didn't work. I backed up for a running jump, and wound up smacking my head into the mattress. I then attempted climbing up the mattresses, but that still didn't work. I then sighed in defeat, right before being hoisted into the air and thrown onto the bed. I turned around to see who had done it, and, everyone knowing that I felt I needed to know who had done it, pointed an accusing hand at Knuckles. Apparently he had grown impatient at watching me struggle in vain in my attempt to get on the bed. "I got bored watching him fail miserably at getting on the bed. So sue me." Everyone got a laugh out of that. Then everyone except for Sally left because it was time for Tails's nightly bedtime story. I pulled myself under my covers and fell asleep before she began, smiling to myself because any bullies that tried to start a fight with anyone would have to answer to me.

Read and review people! Even bad reviews are acceptable!


	4. Guardian of the Forest Part 1: Chapter 4

The only character I own in this story is Fangor, Green Lightning, and their dark sides (will appear in part 3). Thoughts will be in _italics_. The words of the sages will be in **bold** print. Sorry if I get the accents for Bunny and Anthonie wrong. This story is about the bonds of friendship and how it can influence even the strongest warrior to act selflessly to save that person from death. The story starts in Knothole and is done from Fangor's POV (point of view) throughout most of the story. It is probably going to be the best work I have done so far, so please review. And I must warn you: This story contains HEAVY violence. I will be listing the main characters' respective ages and birthdays at the beginning of each chapter (if any of their ages have changed) and possibly a quote by the Kintushian sages. Well, time to continue the story of: The Guardian of the Forest

Chapter 4: School begins

The next day…

FEBRUARY 8

I awoke to find that Tails had already headed for the school building and Amy Rose was at the door waiting for me. " About time you got up. C'mon! Its time to go. Follow me." I got up, walked over to the edge of the bed, jumped, and fell 6 feet to the floor. All I could say was "Ouch." I followed Amy Rose all the way to the eastern end of town and saw the school there. Like all other buildings, it was made to blend with the forest from above. I walked inside and was immediately caught off-guard by the color of the walls. They had obviously taken a great deal of time to paint it. It was blue, just like their hero: Sonic Hedgehog. The first area we entered was just a lobby. Nothing special. Then we took a left, heading down a long corridor. At the end of the corridor we entered into the cafeteria through a door with a picture of a plate of salad on it. We walked in, and I saw 7 long tables (one for each age group I believe) all becoming filled with students. Tails was just getting his breakfast from the self-serve line. My stomach decided to take this time to announce itself, grabbing Amy's attention. " I think you had better go eat, (_oh what should I call him? Can't reveal his identity… I know! Green Lightning! He looks like that when he goes off at full speed anyways, so it's a perfect name for him!_) Green Lightning." Amy said. _Green Lightning eh? Well that will work._ " Yes, miss Rose." I said, keeping my cover. I walked over to the self-serve line and decided on having pancakes for breakfast. After I had eaten, it was time for the first class to start, which I didn't have to listen in on, just be in and keep my eyes and ears open for a fight to start.

The table I had sat at (apparently for the 6-year old students, with student ages of the school ranging from 6 to 12) got up and followed Amy down another hall leading into a large classroom. I immediately took a seat at the back so I could easily watch the bullies. Tails took a seat in front of me. Then, after the rest of the students had chosen their seats and settled down, Amy Rose stepped up to her desk and started the first teaching session. "Good morning class. Today we will be learning multiplication tables, so please pay attention. First…" right after that I turned my attention towards listening for and spotting bullies. Didn't take long for the first few to make themselves known to me. " Hey is that some sort of freak? He's got two tails!" "Yeah! And look at the guy behind him! He looks like the hulk-turned-furball!" "Uh, yeah! Furball! Good one, Butch!" " Better watch out with the green one! He might go all hulk and tear the place up!" Four bullies. Each of them making rude comments about me and Tails. I leaned forward and whispered to Tails, " Just ignore them. They can do no harm." He nodded and returned to the lesson that Amy was teaching. After about another hour of the four bullies taunting Tails and I, Amy decided it was time for 'recess' what ever that means. We all followed her out the door, Tails in front of me, and the four bullies behind me.

While we were walking down the corridor to wherever 'recess' was to be held, the lead bully kept poking me in the back with a pencil. I completely ignored the poking, knowing he was just trying to start a fight with me. After a few more twists and turns through that long corridor, we came to a door leading outside into a fenced in area. Immediately most of the kids rushed onto the playground that was there (swing sets, sandbox, and slides). I leaned against the wall and kept an eye on the four bullies. Sure enough, they decided to pick a fight with Tails, backing him into a corner and preparing to beat him up. Amy looked down at me to see a smirk flash across my face and my eyes to glow red (indicating I was angry) just before I headed over to the bullies. " Excuse me, gentlemen. I think it would be a good idea to leave Tails alone.", I said, still smirking. They all turned around and saw me standing there. " Hey boss, it's that other freak. What should we do with him?" " You and Butch handle him. Johnny and I will take care of this other freak." I looked back at Amy for permission to handle these four, and she nodded. I turned around, and, before they could react, went into top speed and tripped all four of them, winding up back where I had been standing when I caught their attention. They all stood up and looked at me, wondering what just happened. "Hey boss? This one's kinda fast don'cha think?" " What ever just get him!" With that he and Johnny lunged for Tails only to be struck down and have their hands handcuffed before they were aware of it. Then the other two decided to attack me, with the same result. Then I had Amy call Bunny to have them taken away. It took about an hour for her to arrive. " Well if that don't beat all! First day and already the bullies are actin' up! Well a little time in detention oughta fix 'em right up!" With that she hauled them down the corridor towards the detention room.

After recess it was lunchtime. We headed for the cafeteria, which already had my favorite meal ready: mashed potatoes and hot rolls! I ate it the same way I always ate the stuff. It attracted everyone's attention and got a laugh out of everyone that was there. I sat next to Tails (who of course had chosen chilidogs as his lunch) while I waited for everyone else to finish eating so we could head back to the classroom. Sure enough, my mind trailed off leaving only my ears to do anything. About 10 minutes after everyone else finished eating I finally snapped out of it when Amy called for the class to follow her back to the classroom. Everyone got up and followed her, with me at the back, just behind Tails. About an hour later, the school day ended, so everyone went home. I didn't go straight home though. I made my usual rounds first, to make sure no gang activity had started up again. At around 8:24 P.M. I finished my rounds and headed for home. When I got there Sally was cooking supper (I couldn't use the stove. It seemed to have a problem with me, turning off every time Sally left the room so I could use it.) I walked into the dining room at the other end of the house where Amy, Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, and Tails were sitting. I sat in the same seat I had sat in every time I came into here (I had to climb up into it because it was made for my 8-foot Kintushian height instead for this almost 2-foot fox height.) and my eyes barely came up above the table when I sat down. Everyone seemed to know what had taken place on the school playground. Finally Sally came in with the dinner she had been cooking. It turned out to be a meatloaf. After everyone had eaten, it was 8: 54 P.M., meaning it time for the others to leave so Tails and I could get to bed. I went into the bedroom and noticed that someone had placed a staircase next to my bed so I wouldn't have trouble getting up there. I knew it was Rotor's handiwork because he was the only person that could build such a thing. After climbing into bed Sally gave Tails his usual bedtime story, and I went to sleep.

Please read & review people! Even bad reviews are acceptable!


	5. Guardian of the Forest Part 1: Chapter 5

The only character I own in this story is Fangor, Green Lightning, and their dark sides (will appear in part 3). Thoughts will be in _italics_. The words of the sages will be in **bold** print. Sorry if I get the accents for Bunny and Anthonie wrong. This story is about the bonds of friendship and how it can influence even the strongest warrior to act selflessly to save that person from death. The story starts in Knothole and is done from Fangor's POV (point of view) throughout most of the story. It is probably going to be the best work I have done so far, so please review. And I must warn you: This story contains HEAVY violence. I will be listing the main characters' respective ages and birthdays at the beginning of each chapter (if any of their ages have changed) and possibly a quote by the Kintushian sages. Well, time to continue the story of: The Guardian of the Forest

Chapter 5: The fall of the king

Character ages:

Fangor: 16-February 18 (Green Lightning: 6)

Miles 'Tails' Prower: 9-January 30

Sally Acorn (called 'Aunt Sally' by Tails): 15-may 3

Sonic Hedgehog: 17-August 9

Amy Rose: 15-August 19

Rotor: 16-November 9

Bunny Rabbot: 16-January 8

Anthonie: 16-April 17

Shadow: 17-March 26

Knuckles: 17-June 9

Rouge: 16-June 17

Dr. Quack: 41-April 29

Almost 4 years later…

NOVEMBER 23

I woke up and looked out the window after another dreamless night. It was morning, but not a school day, meaning I could take a break. I decided to see if the king needed me to do anything for him, and he said, " I am afraid I am going to have you take the night shift again Fangor. I feel something is going to happen again." I felt painful pricks in my neck, telling something bad was going to happen that night. Something tragic. " Yes sir!" I replied giving my Kintushian salute (right hand and tailblade quickly above my right eye). (as a side note, I always did my patrols in my Kintushian body.) I headed outside to see if anyone else needed help with anything, and, as usual, they didn't. I decided to make my usual rounds to see if anything was wrong at the time. _Nothing out of the usual._ I thought after finishing my rounds. It was almost night by the time I was done. I went to Sally to inform her that I had night shift that night. She looked disappointed, but allowed me to fulfill my duties to the king. When night came around, I was outside patrolling the forest and the town of Knothole for any sign of trouble. Then I headed for the palace in case something was going on there. What I saw made my blood boil.

The king had been assassinated by swatbots in the night, on MY watch, no less! I immediately woke Sally and Sonic so they would know then I went and woke the rest of the village. " I knew 'butnik had been too quiet for all those years!" Obviously Sonic's reaction to seeing the king lying on the ground, lifeless. " I guess Sally will have to be our new leader, seeing as she is the heir to the throne." I stated. Everyone agreed. It would take a while, but we would eventually wipe out Robotnik's base and restore peace to Mobius. The next few years would be spent preparing for an assault on Robotnik's fortress.

Author's comments:

Alas, a short, important chapter. Not to worry, I will have a longer one next.

Read & review people! Even bad reviews are acceptable!


	6. Guardian of the Forest Part 1: Chapter 6

The only character I own in this story is Fangor, Green Lightning, and their dark sides (will appear in part 3). Thoughts will be in _italics_. The words of the sages will be in **bold** print. Sorry if I get the accents for Bunny and Anthonie wrong. This story is about the bonds of friendship and how it can influence even the strongest warrior to act selflessly to save that person from death. The story starts in Knothole and is done from Fangor's POV (point of view) throughout most of the story. It is probably going to be the best work I have done so far, so please review. And I must warn you: This story contains HEAVY violence. I will be listing the main characters' respective ages and birthdays at the beginning of each chapter (if any of their ages have changed) and possibly a quote by the Kintushian sages. Well, time to continue the story of: The Guardian of the Forest

Chapter 6: The Bond of Friendship

Character ages:

Fangor 16-February 18 (Green Lightning: 6)

Miles 'Tails' Prower: 12-January 30

Sally Acorn (called 'Aunt Sally' by Tails): 18-may 3

Sonic Hedgehog: 20-August 9

Amy Rose: 18-August 19

Rotor: 19-November 9

Bunny Rabbot: 19-January 8

Anthonie: 19-April 17 Shadow: 20-March 26

Knuckles: 20-June 9 Rouge: 19-June 17

Dr. Quack: 44-April 29

**The ritual of 'bond of friendship' is only enacted when a good friend is lost and ensures that the lost one will return, at the price of being stuck in the body most like the friend that has been lost, until the words of release are spoken by the lost friend: 'friends forever'. Such is the sacrifice of the Guardian.** -The counsel of the 8 Kintushian sages

3 years later…

NOVEMBER 23

It was 3 years after that incident. We were having a meeting to decide how to attack Robotnik's base. Shadow, Sonic, and Knuckles each had their own opinion. Shadow was stating that they needed to use stealth, Sonic stated that they needed to hit them fast before they could react. Knuckles argued that they needed to hit them with everything they had, even if it meant going down fighting. Almost everyone except for Knuckles and Sonic agreed with Shadow's plan, seeing as how they wanted as few casualties as possible. Even I had to agree. It was decided that we would head out that night to assault the fortress. We needed to move without being noticed so that we could get in, plant explosives, and get out. Sonic and Sally would take care of the explosives, and I would take care of any swatbots that made it to the forest. After the meeting I headed for the house to eat something before we went on the mission. Once again, Tails was told to stay behind to keep him out of harm's way. Even though he objected to it, he obeyed. When night came on, the group that had been at the meeting headed for Robotnik's base. There was just one problem when we reached the edge of the forest: Tens of thousands of swatbots marching our way. I saw them as no problem, seeing as how fast and powerful I was. I told them to go ahead and get to Robotnik's base, stating that I would wrap things up here. They all ran off, keeping to the cover of the trees while I dismantled the swatbots by the thousands. About 10 minutes later they were just piles of scrap. Then I saw something that really ticked me off: many more heading my way, firing their blasters while advancing. I began dismantling these until I heard a scream. I looked in the direction the scream had come from seeing something I did not like. An Ice Kintushian (a Kintushian Empire that had declared war on my father's empire) was lifting a Kintushian-steel sword to throw at Tails. I ran to him as quickly as I could. As I came closer, I realized that I was going to have to jump to make it. I came within twenty feet and threw my body between Tails and the deadly Kintushian-steel sword that was about to be thrown at him. Instead of the sword hitting him, it plunged itself into my stomach and my momentum carried it and me a few feet away. Tails ran over to me as I was going into a state of half-death (the closest I could come to death). "Fangor! NOOOOOOOOO!" He screamed. I looked at him, pained that I had failed in my mission and told him the last thing he would hear from me for thirty years: " Tails, I am sorry. I failed you. I failed Miracle and Keg. I failed your friends. Now I have very little time left before I lose consciousness. I will invoke the ritual 'bond of friendship', which will trap me in the body most like you. I will not be able to leave it until you break the spell, but as long as I have it going, you will be safe." I then recited the short ritual: " May the bond of friendship between us keep you safe, as I make a sacrifice for the ritual to be complete, you will not die and you will return. Only you will be able to end the ritual, and only after you return." With that Tails was grabbed by the Ice Kintushian (it happened to be a descendant of Iknataka, emperor of the Ice Kintushians) as the Ice Kintushian stated: " Master Robotnik will be quite pleased with his new toy. Your sacrifice will not be in vain, foolish one. I will make sure that Robotnik keeps this weakling 'alive' MUAHAHAHAHAHA!" With that he shoved the sword about another inch into me, and flew off carrying Tails. I immediately called out to the others with my mind, urging them to return for I had fallen. They responded quickly. Just before I lost consciousness they all remarked that I was glowing and changing, along with rings appearing around my wrists and ankles. Then, I blacked out.

Author's comments:

Ok, so maybe it wasn't that much longer, but still important.

Read & review people! Even bad reviews are acceptable!


	7. Guardian of the Forest Part 1: Chapter 7

The only character I own in this story is Fangor, Green Lightning, and their dark sides (will appear in part 3). Thoughts will be in _italics_. The words of the sages will be in **bold** print. Sorry if I get the accents for Bunny and Anthonie wrong. This story is about the bonds of friendship and how it can influence even the strongest warrior to act selflessly to save that person from death. The story starts in Knothole and is done from Fangor's POV (point of view) throughout most of the story. It is probably going to be the best work I have done so far, so please review. And I must warn you: This story contains HEAVY violence. I will be listing the main characters' respective ages and birthdays at the beginning of each chapter (if any of their ages have changed) and possibly a quote by the Kintushian sages. Well, time to continue the story of: The Guardian of the Forest

Chapter 7: The Aftermath

**The worst pain that can be felt by the Guardian is losing his best friend. This removes the control over the emotion known as 'sadness' and leaves him emotionally unstable. Such is the sacrifice of the Guardian.** -The counsel of the 8 Kintushian sages

1 week later…

NOVEMBER 30

Sally Acorn's POV

It had been a week since the tragedy. I had just finished checking and re-checking Nicole's report on Fangor, and I definitely did not like what the report came out to. "Are you sure Nicole?" I asked the hand-held computer system. And, once again, it stated: " I have no doubt about the information, Sally. There is no point in further analysis." _Well I had better give them the bad news._ I left the room where, once again, the mattress and floor were once again soaked in tears from the form lying on the bed. I walked down the hall and into the waiting room. Immediately everyone looked up expecting a report. I sighed and proceeded to give them the news. " Here is the statistics of Fangor now that the tragedy has happened: He has become emotionally unstable, lost most of his strength, speed, and other abilities which will remain unlisted, goes into intense states of depression, and has a nightmare every night about the 'incident' that occurred a week ago on November 23, the night of the assault. It seems that we are going to have to do something to help him with his emotional stability somehow. Any ideas?" Immediately Amy Rose's hand shot up. "Yes Amy?" I replied to her hand shooting up so quickly. "Maybe a girlfriend would help?" She offered. I looked through the statistics and then asked Nicole: " would it help him Nicole?" "It would have to have something in common with him, but yes, Sally. It would help him." "Then it's settled! Bunny and I will check the towns outside of the forest for anyone eligible and you can check inside the town Sally!" Said Amy. I agreed and had Nicole print out a sheet of paper for Amy and Bunny so they wouldn't forget what to look for in the person they were seeking. The statistics read:

Gender requirement: Female

Species must be either Kitsune or Kintushian

Age between 6 and 18

If Kintushian, must be of the race Lightning Kintushian

Must avoid asking him about his past

End of report

After Amy and Bunny finished reading the statistics about Fangor, Shadow saw them and a look of pity crossed his face. "Poor guy can't even control his emotions… that is the one thing keeping him from being the ultimate life form. He really does need help." Amy and Bunny headed out the door to search the nearby towns of Willow, Green Meadows, Oak, and Starlight. I set out to search Knothole for someone that fulfilled all of the requirements that Nicole had stated. I knew it was quite a bit to demand, but Fangor was in a bad emotional condition that we thought he shouldn't have to suffer through alone. With that in mind, it was going to take quite a while to find someone that was eligible for this hero-turned-emotional-wreck, but it would be well worth the time.

To be continued in: Guardian of the Forest: Part 2: The wait

Now to all you girls that are reading this, you now know the tragedy that has befallen the hero of the story. Hopefully you post a female fan-character (Kitsune or Kintushian) to help Fangor through this difficult time that he has been thrown into. Without his best friend, Tails, he has no control over his fear nor his sadness. Even Shadow pities him (since when has Shadow cared about someone like this?) in this condition. Please review all! Oh and also, girls? Please post where your character is found, (Oak, Willow, Green Meadows, Starlight, or Knothole) and which house they are found in along with their respective colors. Another thing: Fangor (in his Kitsune form) is 6 years old (with the maturity of 16 because it is his mind in what seems to be Tails's 6-year old body with colors changed) and is only 1 foot 8 inches tall.

Author's comments:

Just thought I might want to point out that Fangor has a longer past than even his own people know about. The only ones that know of his comeplete past are him, the 8 kintushian sages, and someone that will be mentioned MUCH later.

Please review people! Even bad reviews are ok!


	8. Guardian of the Forest Part 2: Chapter 1

The only characters I own in this story is Fangor, Green Lightning, and their dark sides (will appear in part 3). Thoughts will be in _italics_. The words of the sages will be in **bold** print. Sorry if I get the accents for Bunny and Anthonie wrong. This story is about the bonds of friendship and how it can influence even the strongest warrior to act selflessly to save that person from death. The story starts in Knothole and is done from Fangor's POV (point of view) throughout most of the story. It is probably going to be the best work I have done so far, so please review. And I must warn you: This story contains HEAVY violence. I will be listing the main characters' respective ages and birthdays at the beginning of each chapter (if any of their ages have changed) and possibly a quote from the 8 Kintushian sages or Fangor. Sonic and friends are liscensed to Sega. Please read and review! Even bad reviews are good! And sorry if I mispelled anything. I am having to use a computer that does not have Microsoft Word due to the fact that the only monitor that worked on the previous computer decided to die on us.

Previously on Guardian of the Forest Green Lightning/Fangor had just thrown himself in front of a Kintushian steel sword that was intended for Tails and went into a state of half-death and is now recovering in the Knothole hospital. How long will it take for him to awaken? What will happen when he awakens from this condition? So many questions will be answered in this, the second part of the story, and many more will arise. Now, on to the story...

Guardian of the forest part II: The Wait

Chapter 1: The Song of the Heart

Character ages:

Fangor/Green Lightning: 16/6 (just a reminder he does not age)- February 18

Miles 'Tails' Prower: 13-January 30 (captured by Robotnik's new henchman)

Sally Acorn (called 'Aunt Sally' by Tails): 19-may 3

Sonic Hedgehog: 21-August 9

Amy Rose: 19-August 19

Rotor: 20-November 9

Bunny Rabbot: 20-January 8

Anthonie: 20-April 17

Shadow: 21-March 26

Knuckles: 21-June 9

Rouge: 20-June 17

Dr. Quack: 45-April 29

**For some of us, being a hero is about slaying dragons and demons and other creatures of myths and legends. For others, it's about saving those you care about. Well, those are fine, but for me? I just want to do my job. That's enough of a hero for me. -**Fangor the Guardian of the Master Order Emerald and the Hero of the Prophecy

**Fewer songs or spells are as powerful as a song that comes from the heart. **-The 8 Kintushian Sages

DURING THE DEEP COMA

Fangor/Green Lightning's POV

_I was reliving the nightmare, over and over again. Everytime it ended with me blacking out, it started up again from me running to stop the sword. It happened from the moment I blacked out and wouldn't stop. It was tearing down the barrier that prevented me from losing control of the two feelings I had thrown away so many years ago... I wanted it to stop, but it just kept coming. Time and time again, I pleaded for it to stop, but to no avail. The barrier over my feelings had worn down to nothing before I finally woke up..._

1 year after Nicole's report on Green Lightning's condition

Third person perspective

NOVEMBER 30

In a hospital bed, in a white room within the Knothole hospital, a green fox named Green Lightning laid tossing, turning, sweating, and crying in his sleep. Tears covered the floor. A black Hedgehog named Shadow sat in a chair staring at the fox that was obviously having a nightmare that no living creature should have. It was 9 in the morning, a year and a week after the incident. The fox was just now waking up. "NOOOOOOOO!" he screamed as he left his nightmare, still crying. Shadow was surprised enough to fall out of his chair, hitting the wet floor. Just then a blue hedgehog named Sonic dashed into the room, causing the sheet of paper at the end of Green Lightning's hospital bed to flap from the wind created by Sonic's speed. "What's wrong Shadow?" Sonic said with a worried look on his face. "He finally woke up. Just woke up screaming from a nightmare. 'Bout time. It's his fault Tails got captured! He should have grabbed that sword instead of jumping in front of it! Some hero he is!" Shadow shouted. Just then Green Lightning stopped crying and spoke up, "It is impossible to grab a Kintushian-steel sword that has been thrown. A magical enchantment prevents that. I had to throw myself into it's path to prevent it from getting Tails." He said. Green Lightning looked over at the monitor next to his bed that was displaying his recovery status. "93?! Wow, that ritual really took it's toll. how long was I out?" "About a year. Sorry for yelling at you. You feeling ok?" Replied Shadow. "Except for being out of energy and my stomach being store, yeah I'm ok." "Well, I'll get ya some breakfast." Said Sonic. "NO SONIC! Remeber what happened last time you tried cooking something?! Do you really want to be hit by Amy's hammer again?!" Said Shadow, recalling Sonic's last failed expirament with making breakfast, or any meal for that matter. "Alright! So I can't cook! You don't have to rub it in! Sheesh! I'll just go see if Amy and the others got back from their 'search' yet." With that Sonic sped off in search of someone that COULD cook.

About an hour later Amy walked in carrying a tray of pancakes covered in maple syrup. She set them down on the bed and Green Lightning ate them distractedly, apparently still thinking about his failure to save Tails. "Come on, kid! Cheer up! You said you did all you could! A hero does not need to go around moping about his failures! Now let's see a smile!" Said Shadow. Green Lightning managed a weak smile before returning to frowning. " Just because I did all I could and know he will return to us, doesn't mean I don't miss him." He sighed. "Come on, Lightning (as they were now calling him)! You've gotta cheer up! I have an idea!" Said Amy, handing Lightning a map projector that displayed Knothole and the area surrounding it. Amy pointed out two places that were very close to each other. One was the only place in Knothole ,or the forest for that matter, that didn't have snow on it. " That is Emerald Hill, home of the only Tree of the Hero in existance. The area is said to soothe the nerves of those who enter it." Said Amy, pointing to the clearing. The other location was a building with a picture of a flashing mug on it. "And that is the drinks bar." Said Amy, pointing to the building. "Their most popular drink they have, Calming Elixer, is said to calm the nerves, same as the Tree of the Hero on Emerald hill. The drink is said to be made by turning some of the leaves of the Tree of the Hero into a powder and adding it to hot chocolate. It seems to be just what you need. The Drinks bar is open at night and doesn't serve alchohol, so you won't have to worry about drunks. You may go ahead and leave if you wish." Said Amy. "Thanks Amy. I hope it helps. Well, I'm off to get my cloak and head for Emerald hill." Said Green Lightning, walking to the exit.

Green Lightning's POV

After I had obtained my cloak, I headed for Emerald hill, home of the Legendary Tree of the Hero. The cloak was specially made to fit over my ears. It took me about 30 minutes to get from my house to Emerald hill because of there being 6 inches of snow on the ground. Once there, I immediately felt calmer than I had been all my life. I felt so calm I could just sleep here without worrying about anything. In fact, I couldn't help but lay down, curl one of my tails over me as a blanket and use the other as a pillow, and go to sleep. When I awoke it was 7 at night, meaning the juice bar had opened. I had slept through more than half the day! I stood up, pulled my cloak back on, and headed for the juice bar. When I arrived, I headed for the first empty barstool available in this cheery location. The walls were a calming shade of green, the people seemed friendly, everyone was talking without a care in the world. The barkeeper noticed me once I sat down. "Hello, stranger, what can i get ya?" Said the barkeeper, comepletely unaware of my reputation. " I would like to try your Calming Elixer." I said placing 100 mobiums (the currency of this world) on the counter. " You certainly are generous sir! Thank you! I will have your drink to you in a moment." The barkeep walked over to the sink and very thoroughly washed out a cup until it was more like a mirror. Then he went and filled it with a brown liquid from by the counter. After this, he reached under the counter and pulled out a package of dust made from the leaves of the Tree of the Hero. The barkeeper poured the package into the drink and mixed it well. Then he set it on the counter in front of me saying it was their most popular drink. I took my time drinking it, savoring it's calming effect and chocolate flavor. After I had finished I looked around and saw a stage sat up for kareoke and the like. I felt I just had to sing with my heart, to ease the pain of what I had went through. The magic within me took my wish and forced my legs to take me off the bar stool and over to the stage in a trance state. When I got there, I took the microphone and all eyes were on me. The magic took me even stronger, and I sang from my heart a song that I didn't even know was in me...

(Author's note: I thought this off the top of my head after watching the singing sequence on the airship by Yuna in FFX-2. This will be done in script style for easier reading. The singing will be in parenthesis. Thank you.)

'I Open My Eyes' By Green Lightning

Green Lightning: This song goes out to a special friend of mine, and I am sure he was your friend as well. He was taken from us by an enemy of my people, and now an enemy of your people. When he was taken, I felt a piece of my heart and a piece of my soul be taken along with him. I felt there is no other way to express my pain other than a song from the heart. I dedicate this song, 'I Open My Eyes' to Tails. I thank all of you who I have been friends with since I came here more than a decade ago, and I thank all of you who choose to stay to listen to this song from my heart. And last but not least, I thank you, Tails, wherever you may be.

Green Lightning: (I open My eyes,)

(and I be-gin to cry.)

(you are no lon-ger by my side.)

at this point the room went comepletely blank black (like in FFX-2 during Yuna's song-Where I got this idea from) except for the people and it started showing that fateful event from the point where I started fighting the swatbots to when I comepletely blacked out, in slow-motion, lasting through the entire song.

Green Lightning: ( I was cast into the darkne-ss,)

( I can't see the light,)

( I am surrounded by the deepest darkness,)

( Even I can't win in this fight...)

( You are my torch in the night,)

( You are the light upon my path,)

( You are the missing piece of my heart and soul,)

( Oh, please! Come back my light!)

( This pain in my heart,)

( This pain in my soul,)

( This pain in my ver-y being,)

( It is worse than any pain I have ever felt before,)

( Why does it hurt so much?)

( Oh, please! Come back my light!)

( You are the one,)

( You will save me from the darkest darkness,)

( You will cut through it,)

( You are my light!)

( You,)

( are,)

( my,)

( light,)

( oh, please!)

( Please, come back!)

( Please come back my light!)

I paused before starting the song once again. Before I started again, however, Sonic, Sally, and Amy ( who just happened to be in the bar) came up on the stage to sing the song as well, apparently captured by the magic that was woven into the song by my heart...

All: (I open My eyes,)

(and I be-gin to cry.)

(you are no lon-ger by my side.)

Sonic: ( I am surrounded by the deepest darkness,)

Green Lightning: ( Even I can't win in this fight...)

Amy: ( You are my torch in the night,)

Sally: ( You are the light upon my path,)

Amy & Sally: ( You are the missing piece of my heart and soul,)

Sonic & Green Lightning: ( Oh, please! Come back my light!)

Green Lightning: ( This pain in my heart,)

( This pain in my soul,)

( This pain in my ver-y being,)

( It is worse than any pain I have ever felt before,)

( Why does it hurt so much?)

All: ( Oh, please! Come back my light!)

( You are the one,)

( You will save me from the darkest darkness,)

( You will cut through it,)

( You are my light!)

( You,)

( are,)

( my,)

( light,)

( oh, please!)

( Please, come back!)

Green Lightning: ( Please come back my light!)

The song ended, the room returned to normal, and I walked off the stage to applause and cheers. I was feeling better now that I had let out my emotional pain that I had felt. I got back over to my barstool and ordered a 'sleeping draught' ( a more potent version of the calming elixer, it is used to help people to be able to sleep) and headed home. I took off my cloak, hung it on the coatrack near the front door, sat down on my bed after climbing up to it, and drunk the sleeping draught before covering up and going to sleep.

Author's notes/comments:

Short chapter eh? This was basically to show the hero's mood and let him express it with something normal conversation could not do. Well, Read & review people! What happens next will probably depend on your comments in this chapter. Well, until next time, this is Gamerdude, finishing another chapter of my fan-fic: Guardian of the Forest. Later all!

P.S.: Just to let all of you know, most of the spells that Fangor/Green Lightning cast except for Blade of Justice and Light of Justice ( Coming in part 3) are featured in Ultima Online. Just decided to put this info in in case you wanted to know about the runes/runebook that he uses for travel. Well, bye for now!


	9. Guardian of the Forest Part 2: Chapter 2

The only characters I own in this story is Fangor, Green Lightning, and their dark sides (will appear in part 3). Thoughts will be in _italics_. The words of the sages will be in **bold** print. Sorry if I get the accents for Bunny and Anthonie wrong. This story is about the bonds of friendship and how it can influence even the strongest warrior to act selflessly to save that person from death. The story starts in Knothole and is done from Fangor's POV (point of view) throughout most of the story. It is probably going to be the best work I have done so far, so please review. And I must warn you: This story contains HEAVY violence. I will be listing the main characters' respective ages and birthdays at the beginning of each chapter (if any of their ages have changed) and possibly a quote from the 8 Kintushian sages or Fangor. Sonic and friends are liscensed to Sega. Please read and review! Even bad reviews are good! And sorry if I mispelled anything. I am having to use a computer that does not have Microsoft Word due to the fact that the only monitor that worked on the previous computer decided to die on us.

Previously on Guardian of the Forest... well nothing major actually happened. Just Fangor singing ( or was it really _him_ singing, and not something else acting through him? The possibilities...) and having a nightmare for once in his LONG life (don't worry, you will eventually find out just how long he has lived. Just be patient.)

And now on to the story! Read & Review!

Chapter 2: Green Lightning's past

note: since there is not a major change in age for this chapter, character ages are not going to be listed for this chapter.

The next day...

NOVEMBER 31

Fangor's POV

I had the nightmare sequence again last night... so horrible... so tradgic... so... painful. I wanted to escape it, but no matter how hard I tried, it just kept coming. Over and over again, it happened. Each time, it was more intense than the last. I thought it would never end... Such pain is not meant for any normal being... but I was not normal. I was beyond normal. After what seemed like years (it was actually only about 9 hours) I finally woke up with my fur soaked in sweat and tears with the covers all tangled in a pile on the bed. I sat up, looked around, and was horrified at what I saw: water, 4 feet deep, covering the entire floor. _Just great... I go to sleep just fine, and, overnight, my bed becomes an island... perfect._ I decided to go open the door, but quickly changed my mind when I put my leg in the water and quickly yanked it back out. (it was around 10 degrees outside that night... so it makes sense that the water would be cold) I decided to wait for someone to come to assist me, so I took a good look around the room. Apparently, someone had browsed through my technological advances: Volume 1 book during the past year, because technology and communications had advanced quite a bit from when I had gone into the coma: telephones, t.v., and, to my horror, video cameras/camcorders. Lord only knows what Shadow would do with a camcorder... I shuddered at the thought and dismissed it as utter nonsense. I lied back down on my bed with a sigh. _ Guess I will have to wait for someone to open the door..._

After what seemed like hours (it was only 1 hour, but seemed longer because I was bored with nothing to do) The door finally opened, releasing God only knows how many gallons of tears and sweat out the door. Sonic, Amy, Sally and Shadow walked in drenched in tears and sweat (umm... ouch?) and looking quite surprised at the flood that had just hit them. " I'm guessing it got worse?" Said Sonic, shivering from the cold flood that had hit them as they walked in. "Dunno, Sonic. I was in a Coma for the past year..." I just then got an urge to do some exploring outside of the Forest, at Mystic Ruins... " Sally? This might sound odd coming from me, but would you mind if I went to Mystic Ruins today?" She looked puzzled at why I would ask to go to such an unpopulated and unknown place (no history to who had lived there was ever found) such as that. " Why would you want to go there? There is no recorded history of anyone ever living there... But if you feel you must go, then go ahead. Just be careful. It should be listed on your map... To the north-west of Knothole. We haven't been there in a while, so we have no idea how much it has changed. If it gets dangerous, run back here." " I will Princess Sally. Bye everyone! See you later!" And with that I took my cloak and left my house for mystic ruins. Now, I would describe the journey, but it was uneventful, thus making describing the path from Knothole to Mystic Ruins (which really WAS ruins) pointless.

Upon arrival I felt a consciousness surfacing within the body I was in... a consciousness alike, yet different from my own. I wandered into the center of the ruins and was immediately engulfed in a white light, then I was no longer in the ruins, but looking in the second floor window of a grand castle, into the room of the King & Queen it looked like. I looked myself over and noticed I was back in my Kintushian body, without the 'rings of binding' on my wrists and ankles. I walked through the window, ducking to avoid hitting my head on it, then I glanced around the room, stopping when I saw the bed in the center with what seemed to be the queen giving birth. I leaned against the wall waiting for something to happen. A few minutes later, and an older male fox walked in, followed by a hedgehog in a nurse's garments. The nurse walked over to the bed along with the king, and within minutes the child was born. "At last! We have an heir my King! Whatever shall we name him?" stated the queen after much labored breathing. the nurse spoke up: " Well, how about Green? It makes sense because of his fur color..." The King held the child up, and I got a good look at it. Remarkably, it looked like a smaller version of my Kitsune form... same fur color and pattern... only without the shirt, shorts, and shoes. Was this a coincidence? Or was there some significance to this in this vision? The King spoke, " Hmm... Green... Lightning... has a slight ring to it doesn't it, my queen?" "Green Lightning it is, then! Now that we finally have a child to pass on the inheritance to, we no longer need to worry about what will happen to the kingdom when we pass on. Come, let us rest. You are free to go, nurse. You have done your duties." " Yes my queen. As you have said, I will do." With that the nurse walked out of the room leaving the King and Queen alone with the child.

A few seconds later, the vision shifted, seaming to pass forward a few years. It was now showing the inside of a school classroom, much different than Knothole. I looked around the classroom, and in the back-right corner, furthest from the teacher's desk was Green Lightning, only different. He was wearing what seemed to be a solid gold mage's robe, different from the red, blue, white, black, green, or any other color in the room. Unlike the others, this had magical runes all over it, and, like in my kitsune form, a picture of a shield over a tree. He also wore a solid-gold crown on his head, that he seemed to be trying to take off every 10 minutes or so. I walked over to him and saw he was carefully drawing excact duplicates of the runes for the chain-lightning spell that I had used to save my life more than once in my past. Just then the teacher spoke up, " Alright, class, who can recite for me the prophecy of the order emeralds, which are in Mystic Castle?" Everyone in the class except for Green Lightning, who was still concentrating on perfecting the shape of the runes, groaned. " Alright then, I will choose who recites it then." She turned around to what seemed to be a blank chalkboard, wrote a few runes on it, then stepped back. The runes then rearranged themselves to form a name. " Ah! Very well. Green Lightning? Recite the prophecy of the order emeralds." Green Lightning looked up from his work with what seemed like a mountainous effort, his eyes half-closed, stood up and folded his hands. " Two pasts, one a warrior who has lost two peices of himself in war, the other a pacifist mage that carries the weight of a kingdom. Both will be reborn before they are united. Both will seperate before they join with the power of the order. At the time of the joining of the two heroes with the order, a spell cast, a life changed, the heroes return to the order, save the forest that one has sworn his life to protect, and then one, once two, becomes four." The rest of the class laughed at him after this, seeming to think it funny that he memorized every detail of the prophecy.

He sat down, looking slightly embarrased, mostly because the rest of the class was finding this amusing. He returned to perfecting runes he had been drawing. " Marvelous! Simply marvelous! See, class? With this much dedication to your studies, you might be able to surpass even the headmaster of our school!" The rest of the class looked at him as if to say " You are dead meat." The teacher noticed this and gave all of them a death glare. " Do not threaten the prince! One of these days, he is going to fight back, and all of you will rue the day you raised a hand against him!" Green Lightning lowered his head a little at hearing this. _Just great... now they are going to beat me up even more... ugh to be rid of this burden... thou art noble, teacher, but thou hast alot to learn about bullies._ About 10 minutes later, the class got up to leave. " Remember, class! Study the prophecy! I will ask another student to recite the ENTIRE prophecy tommorrow, and every day after that until every student can recite it on command. You may leave now children." Green Lightning picked up his scrolls, ink wells, pens, spellbook, and put them all in his bag. He headed for the door and I followed, walking straight through all of the other students. He turned the corner, and about halfway down the new corridor, he ran into what seemed to be a gang of black-robed mages. Behind him came several other black-robed mages. They all surrounded him, closing in on him from all sides. I moved around to where I could see his expression, and he looked terrified. " Well hello, "bookworm" are you ready for your beating?" Came a threat from what seemed to be the leader. It was a male echidna about his age, and he was cracking his knuckles. The rest of the gang followed suit with smirks on their faces. After that, the vision went black, and then shifted to what seemed to be the hospital wing of the school of Mystics. I looked up and down the hospital beds in what seemed to be an intensive care room, and saw, much to my horror, next to the nurse's desk, Green lightning. He looked in pretty bad shape. His right arm was in a sling, he had bandages around his head, stomache, and legs, he had a black eye, a nose bleed, a bloody lip, and, written on a sheet of paper at the end of his hospital bed, were the words:

Victim of the Black Robe gang.

Recovery procedure: 38 comeplete

Recovery time remaining: 3 days, 7 hours, 22 minutes

elapsed recovery time: 1 hour, 38 minutes

_So, that was a gang that he ran into... I hope they get their just reward for such a foul crime._ I thought to myself after reading this. Just then the king and queen arrived, the king with a very angry and non-hospitable look on his face, and the queen with a very worry-stricken look on hers. The nurse looked up from her desk and spoke to them, " Ah! King Lithander Lightning and Queen Elanor Storm! Thank goodness you arrived!" She said, obviously quite relieved that the king and queen had finally arrived to see their son. " What is it this time, hmm? The red Robe gang? Blue? White? Green? Or was it the black robe gang again?" He glanced down at the paper at the foot of the bed and the look he had on now made the other seem as though he was smiling then. "AUUUUUUUGHH! Why has an escort not been arranged for him?! Why does he not defend himself against these hooligans?! He is the most powerful mage to this date! He should be able to handle simple bullies! This is an outrage! I pay ten-thousand mobiums for his tuition, and this is what happens?! This is... this is... RRRRRAUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!" He was seething with anger, no doubt. Just then the headmaster walked in ( imagine Dumbledore from Harry Potter as a hedgehog, and you have a pretty clear picture of how this headmaster looks) with a very calm look on his face. " The problem is neither the child, nor the school, Master Lightning, but rather, most of the students. They are jealous of his talents and his inheritence, so they take out their anger and frustation on him, thus," he said, indicating the bed where Green Lightning was just now opening his eyes, " He winds up like this. I must ask you, was there ever a pacifest in your family? Any at all?" " No sir. All of my family were powerful mages that seemed to attack anyone that gave them a dirty look. Quite the opposite of my son..." said the king.

Then the headmaster turned to the queen with the same question, speaking always in a low, calm voice. " Everyone on my father's side, Promethius, was as timid toward other people as... my... son... You don't think it is hereditary do you? Oh dear... is there anything that can be done about this?" Said the queen. The headmaster looked at Green Lightning, then back to the king and queen. " To answer your first question, yes, it is possible for it to skip a generation. To answer your second question... only time can tell. For the meantime, I reccommend he take private lessons, away from the other students. It will be better for his health than being in the main-stream. If need be, I will take this task. I believe I have a trick or two left that he has yet to learn. Is it your wish that he take private tutoring, or remain in the main-stream with the rest of the students?" The king and queen looked at their son, looked at each other, looked at the headmaster, and the king responded, " Do whatever is in your power to prevent this from happening again. We cannot have an heir if the heir is constantly bloody and broken. See to it that he learns what he needs to, and make sure this doesn't happen again... I shudder to think about what the uppper-classmen could do to him... best not to dwell on such things. Well, I leave him in your care, Promethius. See to it that he knows this when he awakens. I wish there was more that we could do, but there is nothing he can learn by staying within the castle." " Don't worry, Lithander and Elanor, I will teach him all I know and keep him away from the other students. You may leave now. Your son needs his rest." With that the king and queen left and the vision shifted once again, to a stormy day a few years later.

I was in what seemed to be the prince's room, seeing the prince staring out the window, still wearing his crown and robe, but now he had a ring on his finger, obviously a symbol of graduation. He was looking at the storm longingly, as though he wished he could fly towards the clouds that were sparking lightning, as though a war raged on within them. His ears were drooping and wet. A guard came in through the door, armed with only a metal staff. " My prince, the King wishes for you to see you in the grand hall. He says it's urgent. I shall escort you there." The guard seemed worried about something. The prince replied in a calm, seemingly uncaring tone: "Very well, Jenson, I shall go see my father. I do hope it's not too urgent." With that they left the room. I followed them. After a few minutes of walking down many corridors, stairs, through armories and barracks, we finally reached the grand hall where the king was waiting. The king looked up from his report with a worry-stricken look on his face. " The worst has come, I fear. Robotnik is planning an invasion upon our kingdom! We must act quickly! Come with your mother and I. We must prepare for his assault! Jenson? Prepare the main forces! They must not take the prince!" With that the prince and the king headed to the back of the great hall, opened a secret passage, and stepped through. I followed just before it closed.

They went down many twisting passages, with me close behind them. The whole way, the king looked over his shoulder as if expecting something to show up behind them. " Why are you so worried about Robotnik, father? Surely his army cannot stand up to our magic. Why do we flee?" The king either did not hear him, or did not wish to tell him the reason. They reached the end of the passage, opened a door, and at the back of the new room stood the queen. A look of relief swept across her face as soon as they had entered. I looked around and saw nine very familiar gems, 8 were small, and the last was very large. "Father, mother, why do we come to the chamber of order? Is this... no... this is the day I am to inherit the burden of guarding them, is it not?" The king silently nodded, the prince knelt onto one knee, bowed his head, and prepared to receive yet another burden. The king and queen recited : " Servers of the eight order, bring forth your light, your new guardian stands before you, on this chaotic night" a light breeze seemed to be whirling around the prince now, signaling that a ritual was in progress, " give him thy blessings, guard him well, and bring him back, when his life is fell." All of the emeralds, master order emerald included, went dim, then slid themselves into his bag, which he still kept on his back, even when it was not needed. " The emeralds have accepted you as their guardian. Guard them well, as the kings and queens of the past have."

Right at that moment a very fat human came out of the corridor that they had headed down, sided by two hideous shadow creatures with the likeness of lizards, and behind him, what he reffered to as 'swat bots'. " How touching. A new burden just before joining my army of machines... It is ironic that you would wind up helping the person that invades your castle isn't it? MUAHAHAHA! If you resist, you will die. I suggest you take the robotosizing willingly. It will be over that much faster. Don't worry about your guards, they are all either dead, or on their way to being robotosized. Now do as I command! Bow like the lowly worms you are! Pathetic mages!" At this, wind once again began flowing around Green Lightning. I felt a great deal of power being used, but it wasn't coming from the emeralds. It was coming from... him. " You will not have the order emeralds, Robotnik! I shall do all within my power to stop you!" He released the energy he had been building up for the spell in the form of a chain lightning spell, instantly destroying the creatures of darkness but leaving the swatbots unaffected. Robotnik smirked. " The other mages' spells had the same useless result. You cannot harm my machines with your pathetic magic! Now, be a good boy and die quickly! Swat bots? Kill the prince and capture his parents." The swatbots leveled their blaster-arms to aim at Green Lightning. Immediately The queen opened a secret passage, shoved the prince in, telling him to escape, and closed the passage before he could object. Then the swatbots grabbed the king and queen and left the area. Robotnik was seething with rage. He pulled out a communicator from somewhere behind him. " Charge the egg cannon! The prince must not be allowed to escape! I will turn Mystifc Castle into 'Mystic Ruins' if I have to, but that prince must not live! As soon as I return, fire the cannon!" With that he turned around and headed down the corridor again.

Once again the vision shifted, this time to outside the castle. I saw Green Lightning running away from the castle. I turned around in time to see a light from the sky to hit the castle, then the castle was no more. I turned and followed Green Lightning. Once again, the vision shifted, this time to a forest, where Green lightning was casting aside his robe and crown, looking very relieved at losing such a burden. He ran forward away from the spot, seemingly leaving behind his previous life. Once again the vision shifted. (this is getting annoying isn't it?) This time he was entering a village that was inhabited by echidnas. He seemed quite nervous upon entering the village. An echidna that seemed to be a guard noticed him, signaled to others, and ran over to him, with spears at ready. "Halt! You will not go any further! State your business within the echidna tribe!" Green Lightning was scared stiff, but held his ground. " I am fleeing from a man named Robotnik, and am seeking shelter. I cannot return home, for he has destroyed it. I have been walking for days, searching for a village or other safe place that would have my presence. Will you please allow me to stay?" The guards looked him up and down, judgementally. One spotted the ring, signaled the others, and surrounded him. " You will come with us, or you will perish. Now MOVE!" They pressed their spears against his throat, forcing him towards a large staircase that had a powerful force at the top of it. I followed them.

As they neared it I saw three echidnas in a conversation. They noticed the people that were aproaching, and turned around to see them. A guard spoke as they approached. " Elder, Tikal, and Fist, we have found an intruder! What shall we do with him?" The elder came closer, looking Green Lightning over like one would look at an enemy. Finally, he spoke: " So, you thought you would come to steal the chaos emeralds didn't you? Well you thought wrong, you fool! And now you will face the consequences of tresspassing! You foolish Mystic! HAHAHAHAHHA!" Then the female echidna, Tikal, ran between her father and Green Lightning, arms outspread in defense. " Stop this madness, father! He is only a child! He has done you no harm! You don't even know if he is really after the chaos emeralds! There is no written record of a mystic ever leaving Mystic Kingdom without a robe! I fear something must have happened there---" " You're right, Tikal! Something has happened! They are planning to invade us! We must kill this one before he reports our position to the rest of his kind! guards!" The guards raised their spears above their heads, ready to strike Green Lightning. Green Lightning cowered down, ready to accept the blow. Just then the other male echidna, which odly enough looked like Knuckles from my time, ran forward and grabbed the spears. " Let us hear HIS side of the story before making a judgement, gramps! It is not fair to judge others before we get to know them. If you object, then I might just have to give you a taste of my shovel claw!" Tikal looked as relieved as the elder looked angry. " Fine, have it your way then! Guards! Stand down!" The guards grudgingly returned their spears to their sides, keeping angry scowls on their faces. Tikal spoke, " Now, tell us, Mystic, why are you here?" Green Lightning stood up, knees shaking. He knelt in front of Tikal, bowing his head in respect, and answered: " I am here because my kingdom has been destroyed by a man named Robotnik. I fled the castle before a beam of light came from the sky and decimated it. I have wandered for three years, searching for shelter from him. All of the other towns would not have me, because they feared my power, and hated me for my royal stature. My only wish is to be safe from the man that destroyed my kingdom, and killed and robotosized my people. I cannot touch chaos emeralds, but I do have the legendary order emeralds and their master. I fear my strength has just about left me, for I haven't slept since the night before that accursed event, for fear that I shant awaken from the dream..." The elder spoke, seething with anger, " Lies! All of them, lies! You were sent here to spy on us so that your kingdom could invade us! You--" "Father! He speaks the truth, for he is a Mystic! They are bound by their word! Have you forgotten that?! We must allow him to stay here... he no longer has a home." The elder looked about ready to kill. " Fine then, Tikal! But YOU will be responsible for the care of him! See to it that he stays out of trouble, or you will be to blame! Understood?!" "Yes, father. I will take care of him as though he were my own child. He just might be one of the two mentioned in the Mystic prophecy..." "Bah! That prophecy is meaningless! A mere fairy-tale! Comeplete and utter nonsense! Pay no heed to it, Tikal!" With that he left the area, still seething with anger. Tikal saw Green Lightning fall forward and hit the ground, lightly breathing. She smiled. " He must be the one mentioned in the prophecy... he is the last of the Mystics... Fist? Could you please bring him to my house? He needs his rest." Fist nodded, picking up the now asleep Green Lightning off the ground, and carrying him towards a large hut in the center of the village. Tikal followed, looking relieved that a life had been spared. When they entered the hut, Fist laid the kitsune down on the bed of straw that was prepared for him, then left to guard the chaos emeralds and master chaos emerald. Tikal sat down on the floor staring at the peacefully sleeping kitsune. " Rest well, young one. May your dream be a pleasant one."

With that, the vision shifted again, to a few years later. I was looking at the edge of the echidna village, where a guard was lying on the ground, dead, deep claw marks embedded into his body, with shadows dancing around them. The elder, Tikal, Fist, Green Lightning, and a few other guards were standing around it, all but Tikal, Fist, and Green Lightning were angered. " So, Robotnik has finally found us... Tell me, Green Lightning, are you able to concentrate your earthquake spell? We need to cut this area off from the main continent!" Green Lightning looked down at the body, then spoke up: " Yes, but it would have to start well away from the village. I will return within a few days to let you know when I am done." " You had best hurry then, Mystic. I am not known for my patience." Green Lightning sped off, looking for a place to start the spell. Once again, the vision shifted, this time, I was looking at Angel Island, as it had been in their time. I sped forward towards echidna village, and saw the elder and some guards standing in front of the shrine with Tikal at the steps, arms spread as if to prevent them from climbing to the chaos emeralds above. I then saw Green Lightning with spears at his throat, and his hands bound tightly together to prevent him from casting spells. The elder spoke to Tikal, " Stand aside Tikal! We will have those emeralds! We must use their power in order to stop Robotnik! If you do not stand aside, we will kill the last Mystic alive! Now choose: the emeralds, or his life? Which will it be, Tikal?" " Don't let them get the chaos emeralds, Tikal! Oof!" He had been struck in the stomach by the elder's staff. " Silence, you foolish Mystic! Choose Tikal!" Tikal looked at Green Lightning who was pleading for her not to let them take the chaos emeralds. She then looked towards her father and said: " Take the emeralds, but spare the child! He has done you no harm! Release him!" With that the elder and guards shoved past her, racing to the top of the shrine. Tikal ran over to Green Lightning and removed the ropes that were binding his hands together. Green Lightning looked defeated. " Why, Tikal? Why did you let them have the chaos emeralds? My life is insignificant compared to what they will do with them..." " Because, you are the last of the Mystics. You are the one mentioned in the prophecy. I had to..." Just then screams were heard from the top of the shrine.

I looked to the top of the stairs and saw a blue creature with a transparent body standing at the top, obviously angry. It stood there for a few more minutes, then walked towards the emeralds and disapeared. Tikal looked stricken. " Why wouldn't father listen to me? I had told him it would be a bad idea to envoke the emeralds in anger, but he wouldn't listen! Now he has paid for it with his and his guards lives..." " I must leave before more trouble is caused on my account... I am sorry I could not stop your father, Tikal. Now I ask that you and everyone else here forget about me... don't come looking for me. I wish to be forgotten, so I may live without regret... goodbye, Tikal. You were the only friend I ever had..." With that, Green Lightning took off towards the surrounding forest at what seemed to be half the speed of light.

The vision shifted once again towards the future, to Tikal standing beside a nearly unrecognizeable body, that obviously belonged to Green Lightning. ( How many other green and gold kitsunes could be out there?) his right arm had been eaten down to the bone, he was missing half his skin in most places, and what fur was left was singed by swatbot blaster-fire. Tikal took his ring, put it in his bag, and walked off with it, head hanging. I followed her all the way to the base of the shrine, and watched her bury the bag there. She then turned around and looked me straight in the eyes. " I know you are the other mentioned in the prophecy... When this vision of yous ends, you will be back in the Mystic ruins of your time. Please, do not go digging up his past yet... wait until you two have seperated before doing so... I beg of you, do not let his sacrifice be in vain... I have little time left before Robotnik finds me here... Please, sir, take good care of Green Lightning. His soul is now transcending time and space in search of an appropiate host. He and yourself are the only ones that can save us from this tyrant... now, let this vision end!" with that, I was back in the Mystic Ruins of my time.

I ran off to Angel Island, hoping to find out whether that vision was true or not. Upon arriving on the island, I was greeted by Knuckles. " What brings you here, hmm? Come to see the chaos emeralds? Or something else?" I replied: " I came to speak with your elder about a vision I had in Mystic Ruins, about the past. I must find out whether it is true or not. Will you lead me to the village?" Knuckles nodded and we sped off towards echidna village, which was far away from the shrine. Upon arrival, the elder noticed us. " _You!_ How dare you return to here! We exiled you one thousand years ago, after chaos appeared! You are not welcome here, infidel Mystic! State your business and leave quickly!" I spoke up, keeping my cool, " I am here to find out whether a vision I had in Mystic Ruins is true or not, sir. That is all." " Very well, then, tell me it, so I may regard it as true or false, and then you can leave this island!" I told him every detail of it except for the taking and burrying of the bag. He simply said, after it was done, that it was true, then he ordered Knuckles to remove me from the island. Some hours later, I was back in my house in Knothole, sleeping again, aware of the consciousness that was forming in this body, a consciousness that was alike, yet different from my own. The consciousness of Green Lightning.

Author's notes:

A very long chapter with long paragraphs that gives you insight into Green Lightning's past, from birth to death ( spanning 16 years) and also a prophecy that was made before his time. So THIS explains Fangor being in his body... and the reason why the Mystic Ruins are ruins... and who the REAL guardian of the forest is... well anyways this chapter had plenty of significance. in about 29 years further into the story, Fangor will dig up the bag that contains the history of the Mystics. The ONLY recorded history of their kind. and so, I leave you with a quote:

**" Don't put material possesions as being more important than friends. Be glad that you have friends and do your best to protect them. They just might return the favor some day."**- Tikal, Guardian of the Master Chaos Emerald

Read & Review, People! Even bad reviews are acceptable!


	10. Guardian of the Forest Part 2: Chapter 3

Alright everyone! I have finally added another chapter! Read & review! Also, I Only own Fangor Thunderbolt, Green Lightning, Dark Fangor (coming at the end of part 3), and Black Lightning (coming at the end of part 3) All others are copyright to Sega company. Thank you for reading. And now on to chapter 3!

Chapter 3: The rescue

**Never forget a friend. I cherish the friends I have while they live, because after they die, I will be all alone. **-- Fangor Thunderbolt, Guardian of the Master Order Emerald, Leader of the Knights of Justice, Prince of the Lightning Kintushians, Hero of the Prophecy

December 1

Fangor's POV

_I dreamed that night, and in that dream I saw Tails strapped to a lab table, with many different machines around him. He turned towards me, saying: "Fangor, I'm scared! Please get me out of here!" "I will Tails. Remember the old saying: Friends forever, live forever. And we're friends forever aren't we?" "Yeah! Friends forever! Hurry Fangor! There isn't much time!" I then saw Robotnik step up to the table and put some sort of gas mask over Tails's mouth. His eyes went wide for a few seconds, then they began to droop as if going to sleep. Then Robotnik picked up his tools and the dream ended right there. Was it even a dream? Or was it a vision? Right then I entered another dream, this one was far worse. I saw myself, only it wasn't myself. It was as if I was seeing myself as a Dark Kintushian. He was facing away from me, but he knew I was there. He spoke: " Why do you care about your friends so much? Friends are for the weak! They hold you back! You can truly be strong only by getting rid of your friends and going on your own!" I spat back, in anger: " Friends make me strong! They give me something to fight for! Without them, I am nothing but a weapon, a tool of war!" " Then you are weak! So weak! We will meet soon, so you had best be prepared, foolish one. Remember: In the end, evil and power will triumph over good and friendship! Goodbye, Fangor. Guardian of the Master Order Emerald!"_

With that, I woke up yelling. " Silence, foul creature!" Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to yell. I immediately had 4 pairs of eyes on me. " Is something wrong, Fangor?" Asked a pink hedgehog. _Amy..._ I looked around and noticed I was no longer in my house. I sat up, and I was amazed that I wasn't having to look up to see everyone. I glanced over myself and noticed I was back in my normal body again. " Am I dreaming?" " No, we brought you to the hospital when you started having what looked like seizures last night. When we came back in this morning, you were like this, and a new patient was here as well. Do you know him?" She said this indicating the bed next to me. I looked over to it and saw a green and gold two-tailed fox lying in it, sleeping soundly. _Green Lightning?! But how? Unless..._ I looked at everyone standing around waiting for an answer. Sonic was there, tapping his foot with an impatient look on his face. Sally was standing next to the other bed with Nicole, adding the new person to her database. Dr. Quack was in the room as well. This was the first time I had seen him. He was looking at the computer monitor next to Green Lightning's bed. Finally, I spoke. " He is Green Lightning, heir to the Kingdom of Mystics from more than one thousand years ago. It is what we now know as Mystic Ruins. I am going to have to enlarge my house to accomodate him. Hmm... Has Rotor finished his secret project yet?" " He said he was going to show it to us in the meeting this afternoon. I expect you will attend?" " Of course I will. I am eager to see what he has been so excited about working on that he would hole himself up in his workshop for so long." Just then, Green Lightning began to stir. His eyes slowly opened, revealing his green pupils. He looked around at everyone in the room, studying each face carefully. The first words out of his mouth were: " Where in Mobius am I? How did I get here? Last thing I remember is being attacked by swatbots after leaving the Echidna village... Who are you people?" He turned towards me with a confused look on his face. " I don't know who you are, but I feel as though we have met before... May I ask your name, sir?" " I am Fangor Thunderbolt. I already know your name. Tell me, how do you feel?" " I feel fine, although a little confused. How is it I am here? I should be dead... and what happened to my body? I thought that ritual my mother and father performed was just a fairy tale of sorts.... did it actually work?" Yes," I answered, " It worked. You are now in Knothole more than one thousand years after your death. Now, if you wish, there is to be a meeting this afternoon. I would like for you to attend, if that is ok with the rest of the group. What do you say, guys? Can he attend?" They all nodded their heads. " Well, I am going to go get my house prepared for you to be able to live there. Amy? Can you get him some clothes to replace those rags?" I immediately regretted saying that. She got a very dangerous look in her eyes: She was going on a shopping spree at the Knothole mall. She grabbed Green Lightning's hand and bolted out of the room dragging the confused fox with her. "Well, guess we had best get ready for that meeting. See ya there." With that I left the hospital to modify my house's insides to accompany more people. Along the way, many people stopped what they were doing and stared at me as I was walking down the streets. Apparently rotor had read more of my technology books than I had thought, because there were cars passing me by. I barely had to move to avoid them, because they were many times slower than I reacted. _Note to self: Get a safe._ An hour later I had finished modifying my house. On the outside it looked like a hill, but on the inside it looked like a cross between an inn and a mansion. Satisfied with my work, I decided to head to the palace at the north end of Knothole. I saw a line of people standing outside, leading out for about 10 feet from the palace and going all the way in it seemed. _Hmm... wonder what they are up to...._ They looked at me with fear and curiosity in their eyes as I passed, backing up out of range of my tail-blade. A few of them made some remarks about my appearance: " What is that thing?" " It looks like a walking weapon... Why would the freedom fighters let it just walk around like that?" I just let these roll off my back like nothing. I reached the front of the line which was in front of a door marked: Robotnik survivors please form a single line in front of this door- Sally Acorn, Leader of the Freedom Fighters.

I teleported into the room, right next to Sally, just as someone left it. " Sally? Who are all these people? Where did they come from?" She looked up from the papers she was looking at and spoke. " They are people that survived Robotnik invading their towns and cities. Fewer and fewer arrive every day... Is he slacking off his invasion? Or are fewer escaping? I had feared that if you had not awakened, we would have lost to him with his new henchman... It's almost time for Rotor to show his invention... You had better get going now, if you don't want to be late." She smiled, amused at what she just said. " Then again, we can't really expect you to be on time, can we?" " Nope. Not in a million years Sally!" I laughed. I started to leave, but Sally stopped me. " Tell me how you and Green lightning know each other later. I will be here going over these papers, trying to find proper accomodations. You may go now." With that, I left for Rotor's workshop.

When I arrived, Rotor was the only one there. " Hey, Rotor? Did I miss it?" He smirked. " You're early for once, Fangor. Congratulations." That was highly unusual. _Oh, well. Better just sit down and wait for everyone else to arrive._ It took a little over an hour for Sonic and the others to arrive, minus Amy and Green Lightning. "Well, we can't wait any longer. What is it Rotor?" Said Sally. Rotor walked into the back and brought out something on wheels covered by a tarp. " This is what I have been working on guys! A de-robotosizer!" He pulled off the tarp, revealing a metallic, cylindrical tube. " Great! Now we can return all who were robotosized by Robotnik to normal!" Said Sonic. " We strike at sunset tonight, everyone, so get prepared. Anthonie has already come up with a plan, in case Fangor ever returned to normal. He said he would present it after we ate tonight, so be sure to attend. And, Fangor? After this mission, I would like to know how you came to know Green Lightning. Dismissed." With that we milled out, all heading for my house to eat.

When we arrived, Amy was standing outside with Green Lightning, both wearing fur coats because of how cold it was outside for them. I stepped forward and unlocked the door using my 'magic unlock' spell. ( I didn't trust keys, so I used magic instead.) I opened the door and waited for everyone else to walk inside. I waited outside for thirty minutes before Antonie finally showed up. " Zis weather! 'Tis merciless, no? Vat are you doing vithout a coat on?! Are you crazy?!" He said when he approached. I simply replied: " The cold has no affect on me. Get inside quickly. I'm cooking tonight." He looked awestruck at my remark, but walked inside, eager to get out of the cold. I walked into the main kitchen, off the east side of the lobby, and immediately began creating the ingredients I would need, once again using my magic. _Let's see if I can remember it correctly... two spoonfulls of iganite ash mixed in boiling water.... three cups of wortnar root... and a dash of dried molectus moss.... stir vigorously until thick... then pour over nazledur leaves for a healthy meal._ I was using a recipe passed down to me by my Kintushian father and mother before I left, and was just now getting a chance to use it because the stove was working for me now. It took me ten minutes to get it properly made. After taking it off the electric burner, ( I was an environmental nutcase, doing the best not to polute.) I quickly washed the plates and silverware, being careful not to drop any. afterwards, I plazed the nazledur leaves on the plates and poured the sauce over them. _Hope this is as good as when my dad made it... well, here goes nothing!_ I had used the rarest cooking ingredients from my planet to make this special meal. It was always eaten before a war on my planet, supposedly to boost our awareness, although it never seemed to work for me. I levitated the plates in front of me all the way into the dining room, being careful not to crash them into the walls and doorways. After passing through the door to the dining room, I could hear the rest of the group already discussing the plans for getting into Robotnik's base, shutting down his robotosizer, shutting down the device that controls those who are robotosized, and getting the robotosized people out of there. " Dinner's ready!" I said as I walked into the room. Everyone looked up from their discussion to see what I had cooked for them. " What in Mobius is that?! It looks like a leaf with slime all over it!" Exclaimed Sonic upon seeing it. I smirked and replied: " Family recipe. It tastes far better than it looks." I walked around the table, setting the plates down in front of everyone, watching most of their disgusted expressions. Green Lightning was the only one that didn't seem grossed out by it, and was the only one to eat it at first. He ate it graciously, savoring the flavor. " This is excellent Fangor! I haven't had a meal as good as this in quite a while! Even the salad I had at lunch wasn't as good as this!" He said, after he had finished it. " Salad? Why a salad? Surely there are tastier foods out there." I said in reply to this. Amy got a disgruntled look on her face and answered for him: " He's a vegetarian, Fangor. It was the only food in the food court that didn't have meat in it." "So, are you going to eat or not? This IS the first time I have ever cooked here, so I want to know how it tastes." With that, they started eating. The only one that 'forgot' his manners was Sonic, eating it in a single bite like he did any other food. " Sonic! Where have your manners gone?!" Spoke Sally upon seeing this gross act. Sonic burped then replied: " Sorry 'bout that, Sal. Won't happen again." After the meal was over and the plates were washed, we discussed the battle plan based on the information that scanners had found out. I pointed out the dim dome that was around the fortress. " How far from the fortress is that?" Antonie leaned in close, squinting his eyes to see it. " Sacre Bleu! Vat iz zat thing? It appears to be surrounding the base from five hundred meters out!" " It's a disentegrator field, Antonie. Touch it, and there won't even be a hair left of you. We are going to have to dig under it. That means we are going to need Knuckles and his shovel claws." Sonic sped off to get Knuckles and came back a few minutes later. The meeting didn't last much longer. We had a simple strategy: Knuckles would dig a hole leading under the forcefield, Green Lightning would follow him and input the passcode to shut down the forcefield, after the forcefield goes down, Sonic and Sally were to go in through the air vents, find the robotosizer, destroy it, get back in the air vents, find the device that controls those that are robotosized, and destroy it. By this time, Green Lightning and Knuckles were supposed to already have gone through the air vents and gotten to where the robotosized and non-robotosized prisoners were kept. After the control device is destroyed, they are supposed to escort the prisoners out of there. After Sonic and Sally find Tails and get him out, I was supposed to destroy the base, making sure this would not happen again. The rest were supposed to stay in Knothole. After the final discussion, we got ready, grabbing the supplies we would need for the trip.

We set out from Knothole, dragging ourselves through the snow, everyone, except for me, was very cold. We stopped six hundred meters from the base, with the end of the forcefield in plain sight because snow had not fallen through it, and Knuckles strapped on his shovel claws and began to dig. Five minutes passed before he emerged. Green Lightning dove into the hole and emerged at the other end within ten seconds, the openings of the holes were one hundred meters apart from each other, just to make a note of the distance traveled. He ran over to the main entrance and accessed a control panel next to it, shutting down the forcefield. We all took our positions; with Shadow, Bunny, Antonie, and myself outside as back up. I pulled up my own personal computer and surveyed the inside of the base, using com-links developed by Rotor for this kind of work. We planned to rescue those who were inside, robotosized or not, shut down the robotosizer, and bring an end to Robotnik once and for all. Green Lightning and Knuckles entered through the air vent with Sally and Sonic, while I kept an eye out for traps on my hand-held scanner. " Green Lightning and Knuckles, take a left here. Sonic and Sally, take the third right you come across. And, Sonic? W-A-L-K. There are traps in your path that only detect high speeds, so you need to walk, not run. These traps cannot be outran. Green Lightning and Knuckles? There are no traps along your path, but proceed very slowly. You must wait until the control device for those who are robotosized is destroyed, otherwise you and them are going to get hurt. Now, move out troops!" And with that they headed along their paths, with Green Lightning and Knuckles stopping in the area of the vent above where the robotosized Mobians were held. Sonic and Sally set bombs at the control device and the robotosizer machine, and then accessed the main computer. " Hey, Fangor! Where's Robutnik? We've gone into his most precious chambers and I haven't seen him anywhere! Something's not right..." I checked my scanner for other living creatures, and I only found flashing yellow dots inside the base, indicating they were alone in there. " Sonic? There are no other beings in there... not even Robotnik... Strange for him to leave his base ungaurded like this... he must be planning something... Have you found Tails?" " Sorry, bud. We don't see him. If he isn't robotosized then he is either dead, or he escaped. We have the files from Robotnik's main computer, and we are getting out of here now! The bombs are in place and will detonate in 5 minutes! Over and out!" Green Lightning came on the com-link after the bombs went off, just as Sonic and Sally rejoined the group. " He isn't here either! They say he escaped, but not before Robotnik did something horrible to him! We're coming home! Get ready to destroy the base, Fangor!" Just then, I felt my anger rising up within me. _It's my fault he's gone... I should have acted sooner! It's all my fault... Robotnik will pay for this! With or without his henchman!_

After Green Lightning and Knuckles arrived with those who were robotosized or who had become cyborgs, I prepared to destroy the base but was stopped by a sense of foreboding. I had a vision... I was standing there, charging up a flamestrike spell while holding the red Order Emerald, but then my anger took over... Instead of hitting the base, my body was infused with fire... The fire was released across the planet... It destroyed everything in it's path, plants, animals, buildings, robots, mountains, even the planet itself... I awoke from the vision to find everyone staring at me, waiting for me to destroy it. " I cannot perform this task... My anger would get in the way and cause me to destroy the planet. Green Lightning will have to perform this task. Bunny? Could you bring him back to Knothole after he is done? This task will drain him of all his energy, but he is the only one who can do it." Both nodded grimly, knowing that what I said was true. Everyone except for those two left for Knothole.

Bunny's POV

Well, after the others left, Green Lightning went fishin' around in his backpack for somethin'. " What ya lookin' for, sugar?" He spoke without lookin' up from his bag. " The red order emerald... All I know about it is it enhances the power of fire. I am going to need it for this job." He then pulled a red stone out of his bag that looked like a chaos emerald, only a bit larger and brighter. He turned towards the base, holding the emerald with both hands. He let go of the emerald and, my goodness! It was floatin' in the air on it's own! Then he said something I couldn't understand. Then his hands started glowin'! He grabbed the red order emerald, held it above his head, then brought it down, straight in front of him as though he was swingin' a sword! Immediatly a meteor came down on top of Robotnik's base and fire started rippling across it as it collapsed, like a stone thrown into a still pond! My word it was a sight to see! Just then the red order emerald floated into his bag, his bag zipped itself up and placed itself on his back, and he fainted! I caught him before he hit the ground and, goodness was he pale! " My goodness! That takes alot outta ya don't it, sugar? Well, better get you home so's you can rest." I scooped him up into my arms and carried him back to Knothole to tell everyone some news and to give the little guy some rest. At last we could have some peace for a while! But, as Robotnik had said before, at the destruction of his doomsday device and his death egg at the hands, or should I say swords of Fangor, this is only the beginnin'. Robotnik would return. But this time, we would be ready for him.

Alright all! Another important chapter in my fan-fic! This part, Part 2, is coming to a close. Stay tuned to find out what happens next! I assure you, some of it will surprise even myself! Read and review everyone!


	11. Guardian of the Forest Part 2: Chapter 4

I Only own Fangor Thunderbolt, Green Lightning, Dark Fangor (coming at the end of part 3), and Black Lightning (coming at the end of part 3) All others are copyright to Sega company and their respective owners. In the chapter after this one, a new character will appear, owned by FoxFan999. I hope to get some reviews this time... I still don't have any reviews from anyone... And now, on to Guardian of the Forest!

Chapter 4: The not-so-good Christmas Carol?

**Darkness lies within all of us... some just fight it harder than others...** -Fangor Thunderbolt, Guardian of the Master Order Emerald, Leader of the Knights of Justice, Prince of the Lightning Kintushians, Hero of the Prophecy

December 2

Fangor's POV

_I dreamt again that night... I saw what looked like Knothole... but different... it was on fire... not a single building remained unburned... I saw a Dark Kintushian standing in the center of it all, smirking and holding a ball of flame in his hands... I aproached him, wanting answers to why I am seeing this... " I know what you are going to ask, Guardian. You want to know why you are seeing this? This is what would have happened to Mobius if you had used the Order Emerald of Fire. I am quite disapointed that you failed to use it... You have such potential... No matter. You will be given another chance later." He was still smirking like he was hiding something, so I pressed further. "Who are you?" "That is really none of your business at the moment... Oh my, look at the time! It's time for you to wake up!" He and the vision began to fade... " No! I must have answers! Stay and answer my questions!" Then, the vision ended, leaving me sitting up in my bed in a cold sweat..._

Sally's POV

It was about eight in the morning, and we were watching the victoms of Robotnik step into the de-robotosizor as a machine and out of it as what they once were. I had just handed the last accomodation slip and ID holocard to the last person that had stepped out. " Well that's the last of them... Now we just have to get their towns rebuilt so they can return to their homes..." I ran a search on Nicole for the Lightning's and came up with three results. Apparently Green Lightning's mother and father had been robotosized by Robotnik all those years ago. I got up from my desk and walked with the others, Fangor, Green Lightning, and Bunny excluded, towards the hospital. " What room is Green Lightning in?" I asked as I aproached the front desk. The raccoon sitting at it looked through a computer database for a few minutes before answering. " Room E-7, exhaustion recovery. Be quiet when you go in, please. He is asleep and didn't look like he was going to last when Ms. Rabbot brought him in... I'm surprised he survived the night..." " Thanks. Come on guys. Let's bring him the news." With that we headed off towards the fifth floor, where Green Lightning was.

When we stepped out of the elevator we saw four black-cloaked strangers standing outside room E-7, where Green Lightning was recovering. They turned as we approached. " Who be ye, who comes at this hour on the morrow? Speak quickly, for thou art amongst the Black-Robe Gang of the Mystics!" Stated the one who appeared to be their leader. " I am Sally, leader of the Freedom Fighters. What business do you have with Green Lightning?" I replied. " We are his friends, but some blue 'freak' won't let us in! There is another blue 'freak' in there, but he just sits beside some computer attached to Green Lightning." " If he is not allowing you in, then you must be lying to us. He would have let in people that were truly his friends and did not wish him harm. I would advise you to leave and never show your faces around here again, or the consequences will be severe. Understood?" They began casting spells until the door opened, knocking all of them off their feet and disrupting the spells. " About time you guys showed up! Come on in!" Said Fangor, poking his head out the door. We all walked in, leaving the Black Robe Gang outside.

When we walked in we saw another Kintushian sitting at a computer monitor next to the bed. Wires ran from the computer to various parts of Green Lightning's body. As we approached, he stood up and greeted us, filling us in on what was going on as well. " I am Alazar Makivel of the Lightning Kintushians. I am the top ranked doctor on our planet, so Fangor called for me to come check this out. I'm about to run an analysis on the young fox so I will know what is the problem with him. Are his parents here?" I shook my head. " Then someone needs to go get them and bring them here. I won't do anything without the patient's parents present." " Where is Dr. Quack? Shouldn't he be here doing this?" " No, ma'am, I am far beyond capable of doing this and our technology allows for the type of analysis that I am going to perform, so he is free to check on other patients." Just then the intercom light next to the bed began blinking. Alazar walked over to it and answered the call. " This is Alazar. How may I be of service to you?" The voice on the other line quickly replied. " Alazar, two people are here claiming to be Green Lightning's parents. Should I allow them in? Oh, and Ms. Rabbot is with them as well." He replied, smiling. " I've been waiting for them. Yes, allow them in, nurse. Ms. Rabbot may come as well." He then turned to us. " Seems like I won't have to send someone after all, eh?" He turned the intercom off just as Green Lightning's parents and Bunnie followed close behind. Fangor walked to the door and closed it, keeping anyone outside from seeing what would happen. Alazar walked over to beside the bed and began pulling electrodes from behind his computer. Green Lightning's mother looked curiously at the devices, but said nothing as they were attached to Green Lightning, who was sleeping peacefully on the bed that had been prepared for him. Alazar walked towards the computer screen and began looking down it. After a while he stood up and asked Fangor to sit down in a chair, away from the computer. He then reached behind the computer and pulled out a large metal needle, walked over to Fangor, and stabbed him in the arm with it. The walls must have been soundproofed, because the scream that issued forth from this act was loud enough to cause us to be shoved away by the sheer force of it. After a few minutes the electrodes and the needle were removed from both of them and Fangor's wound immediately closed up, stopping the screaming. Alazar then dragged Fangor over to the computer screen and began stating what it meant.

" Look at his energy level before using the order emerald and look at your energy level, Fangor. You should have known better than to let him use it! And you should have known better than to soul meld with someone before finding out more about their power and energy levels! What were you thinking, you fool?!" Fangor just shrugged his shoulders and replied, with somewhat of a heavy undertone. " I wasn't given a choice. I didn't find out that his soul was contained within me until this week! And how did you know about the soul meld anyways?" " You didn't think that little stunt of yours would keep us from tracking you, did you? You may be able to make it look like you died, but your 'presence' is different from all other kintushians. Even your power and energy levels are different! I suggest you not allow him to use the order emeralds again until you are absolutely certain he can handle their tremendous power. As far as we know, you are the only creature that can handle even one of them." Fangor looked over to the bed, apparently concerned about Green Lightning. " How long you think he will be out for? And how did he survive using the order emerald anyways?" Alazar looked at the computer monitor, then dragged Fangor back over to it. " He apparently brought some of your abilities with him when his soul dislocated itself from your body into a body of his own. He survived because he 'copied' your immortality. As for your other question, he will be out for about a day, but he is not to leave the bed for a week, understood?" Fangor nodded then turned to me. " Sally? I would like to see you in your office, please." Then he left. I walked to the door, but not before telling Alazar I would be back later to check on him.

Fangor's POV

I was waiting in a chair across from Sally's desk. She arrived about ten minutes after I did. " What did you want to talk about, Fangor?" I told her everything I had seen in the vision of Green Lightning's past, about his life, and his death. Everything I had seen, I told her. Just then my radio, which I had thought would never come on, started beeping, meaning I had an incoming message. I turned it on and listened, shocked at hearing who was on the other end. " Rouge to Knothole! I have retrieved the artifacts the king requested and am coming in to deliver! I should be there in about five minutes. Over and out!" Sally and I got up and ran out to the center of Knothole where we would meet Rouge.

Everyone else was there by the time we arrived. Four minutes later, Rouge was there. She looked around at the faces that were staring at her with anticipation. Only four people weren't there: Alazar, Green Lightning, and Green Lightning's parents. Rouge turned towards me. " Well, you haven't changed since I saw you last." She looked around at the crowd again, then back to me. " Where's the king? I have the artifacts he sent me to find." I shook my head, then told her the news. " The king was assassinated several years ago, Rouge. It was a great loss for Knothole, and I have noone to blame for it but myself." She reached her hand back and did something unexpected. She slapped me across the face with the back of her white-gloved hand. " Still blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong around here?" Everyone was shocked, especially me. " So, what took you so long Rouge? You realize it has been more than five years since you left without notice?" She smirked. " Oh, nothing except I had to search every inch of Mobius to find them! Well, since the King is gone, I guess I will have to give them to you, since items such as this could have a bit of magic in them." She reached down into a bag she had brought and took out two necklaces. One had the emblem of a staff and the other had the emblem of a bow. She handed them to me and then she began questioning some more. " Where is Tails and what happened to Robotnik's base?" " Robotnik's base was destroyed yesterday and Tails was kidnapped a couple years ago. That one truly was my fault. I should have kept a better eye out for him instead of focusing on swatbots so much. If I hadn't of come to this planet, he wouldn't have been taken. If I hadn't come, that Ice Kintushian wouldn't have followed me here and sided with Robotnik. There is noone to blame for it but me. Sally, was he among the robotosized?" I dodged another slap from Rouge. " Sorry, Fangor. He wasn't. I fear he is dead, or lost somewhere." I made one final note before I left. " He is out there... somewhere. We need to get enough trained forces to defend Knothole before we can search for him." At that I walked away from the group.

Alazar's POV

I was sitting at my computer, monitoring the sleeping kid's 'statistics', such as energy levels, stress levels (to check for nightmares), and power level, when I heard the door open. I turned one stalk-eye towards the door while keeping the other on Green Lightning and my main eyes on the computer screen. Who should walk through the door but Prince Fangor! He's considered a hero where I come from, don't ya know? After the second war he served in, he was thought to be dead by all but a select group of people that he thought would need to know he was still alive somewhere. The medical, science, and military divisions were a few of those that were notified. His family, too, were among those that were told. Everyone else aside from our churches and the eight Kintushian sages, _may god bless them_, thinks him to be dead. He walked over to Green Lightning's parents as he entered. " I have something that you would probably know about better than I." With that he reached into his pocket and pulled out two necklaces with strange medallions attached to them. Green Lightning's father's eyes widened when he saw them. " These were thought to be lost for all time! These are the Order medallions containing the Bow of Order and the Staff of Order! Where were they found?" Fangor shrugged his shoulders. " No matter. These will be given to my son when he awakens. They are his, after all." With that Fangor handed him the medallions. I called Fangor over to my computer to show him a few other things. " It appears he has quite a few of the abilities that you have, Fangor. Your 'wind shield', the ability to absorb electricity, the inability to age, the ability to casts spells without saying the words, and his speed and reaction time is one-fourth of yours. His strength and endurance, though, are much below yours." He thanked me for the information, then walked out of the room, apparently eager to get somewhere. I frowned. I had seen that walk before, after he returned from the first war, and the second as well. I looked at my computer and noticed I had a U-E-Mail (Universal-Electronic-Mail) from Fangor. It stated that he had called the military faction to get some of the top-ranking elites over here to train the people of knothole how to fight against kintushians, should the need arise. _He's planning ahead for once... good for him._ I sent him a simple reply, thanking him for filling me in. Then I sent an E-Mail to the leader of this place asking them what type of power source they used to get electricity. It would be a while before I would get a reply. Green Lightning's dad walked towards the bed and put the medallions around his son's neck, saying " I hope you use these someday, son. I only hope it's for the right reasons, not out of anger like I would have... Rest well my son." With that they left for their house within Fangor's inn.

Two weeks later...

December 16

Green Lightning's POV

It was the night of what Sally called a 'school play'. I think the name of it was 'a christmas carol'. Strange name... Oh well. I was in one of the 'sky boxes' ( why do they call them that? they don't float in the sky... people have unusual names for things in this time-period.) with my mom and dad. I had woken up just three days ago, so my mom was still worying about me. The lights began to dim, and what seemed like snow began to fall ( it was actually Fangor making the illusion of snow using his magic.) The play began, and went well up to the point when the 'ghost of christmas past' appeared. A short while after it appeared, something went wrong. A creature of darkness, like those used by Robotnik about one-thousand years ago, appeared and started towards those that were on stage. It backed them into the corner, unaffected by Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, Rouge, and Amy's attacks ( of course it was! only powerful magic could take care of these creatures!). It began reaching one of it's clawed fingers for some of the kids there, planning on making a meal out of them. I stood up and grabbed the balcony only to have my knees nearly give out on me. I didn't have the energy yet to use my magic. Only one person could save them. Just then, Fangor burst through the curtains behind us and leaped over my head and grabbed a rope hanging from the rafters above. he swung out towards the creature, holding one arm towards it while preparing 'flamestrike' without words or reagents; alchemic ingredients. The creature turned around just as the spell was released, burning it to a crisp, but it was not defeated. It took a swing at Fangor, missing him by inches. It didn't get a chance for a second blow. Fangor ran up it's spine, almost faster than I could see, and drew his sword as he reached it's head. He jumped up, preparing for a downward thrust, and yelled " Tremble before the might of Justice!" before plunging his sword into the skull of the beast. The creature immediately dissapeared, like someone waving their hand through smoky fumes. Fangor then returned to where he was, as everyone else returned to their places, slightly nervous about what just happened.

The play continued on without further incident, and after everyone else took their bow, the spotlight went up towards the rafters, above the rope that Fangor used. Who should be there, but Fangor himself, crouching and waving at the crowd with a smile on his face. An hour later, we were all in our homes. I stumbled into my bed, tired as though I hadn't slept in weeks. I got under the covers and welcomed sleep, like an old friend.

End of Chapter

Alright, it was short, but next chapter will have something special in it... I won't reveal anything more other than it has something to do between Green Lightning (one of my fan-characters), FoxFan999's fan-character, and the Black Robe gang (the most anti-royalty robe-gang of Mystic Ruins) and that it will be a good few years ahead of this time. I hope I can get the next chapter up before this coming Christmas.

So stay tuned for Guardian of the forest Part 2-Chapter 5: Awakened by Love

(P.S. Remember the two medallions that his father gave him while he was in his little coma. One of them will reveal it's true form next chapter.)

(Another note: Each 'house' within Fangor's inn looks like the Thorndykes mansion on the inside. Just thought I'd point that out.)

I leave you, saying this: Green Lightning will kick a personality trait contained within his family line next chapter.


	12. Guardian of the Forest Part 2: Chapter 5

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. The power unit on the computer I was using went 'kapoot' so to speak. Now that I am able to get on with this, I would like to dedicate this chapter to Green Lightning. (I know he doesn't really exist! You will find out why it is dedicated to him as you read. Just don't go flaming me for dedicating a chapter to one of my fan-characters!) Just a reminder, I only own the kintushians (this includes Fangor), Green Lightning (mother and father included, although they are WAY too overprotective, and the mystics as well (this includes all the robe gangs). Aleena is owned by Foxfan999, and Sonic and the gang are owned by Sega. Now on to the story. (Most of this chapter will be in Green Lightning's POV)

Chapter 5: Ventures of the Heart

**9 years later**

**December 7**

Fangor/Green Lightning: 16/6 (just a reminder he does not age)- February 18

Miles Tails' Prower: 22-January 30 (captured by Robotnik's new henchman)

Sally Acorn (called Aunt Sally' by Tails): 28-may 3

Sonic Hedgehog: 30-August 9

Amy Rose: 28-August 19

Rotor: 29-November 9

Bunny Rabbot: 29-January 8

Anthonie: 29-April 17

Shadow: 30-March 26

Knuckles: 30-June 9

Rouge: 29-June 17

Dr. Quack: 54-April 29

Aleena: 8- October 8

**Green Lightning's POV**

_I dreamt that night... I was in my room of my new house (we had moved out of Fangor's inn)... Smoke seemed to be entering through the window... I got out of bed and pushed a chair over to the window so I could see out of it... I saw the village on fire and flames lapping in through the window... In the center of the village was a black Kintushian with Fangor standing opposite of him... The black one was laughing evily... Fangor seemed to be saying something, but I couldn't make it out from where I was. Suddenly he disapeared and the black Kintushian turned his attention towards me... All of a sudden I was gripped by darkness and appeared on the ground below... "Do you know who I am, boy?" he asked with a bitter hatred in his voice. I immediately didn't like him. "No matter. You will die before you need to know. Good-bye, Guardian of the Master Order Emerald." With that I was gripped with a paralyzing darkness as he raised his hands. Globes of darkness began forming in them, blotting them out. He raised his hands above his head, preparing for the killing blow. I was shivering in fear of what he would do. As his hands came down, only one thought came to mind. "POR ORT GRAV!" I yelled. Immediately a bolt of lightning came down, but it was too late... But then, I woke up._

I sat up, aching as though he truly had paralyzed me. I ran downstairs and out the front door, being careful not to wake my parents. _Was that a nightmare? Or a vision of things yet to come? Whatever it was, it felt real enough to me..._ Not realizing it, I had stopped in front of an abandonded house. No one would tell me why it was abandonded, or why it remained in such good shape. _It must be important if they want to keep it a secret._ I was still thinking when someone came from the doorstep. "Excuse me, kid. Do you know where the Prowers are? My parents told me I could find them in Knothole at house 34, but it appears that they aren't home." I looked up and saw a female Kitsune of about eight years of age with purple-ish fur looking down at me, waiting for an answer. I shook my head. " I know nothing of them. Sorry." She shrugged and said " By the way, my name is Aleena. What is yours?" " Green Lightning. If you're new to Knothole, I would suggest going to the palace first. They register new citizens there. You might have to wait a while though. I think they are holding a meeting with the mayor of one of the neighboring towns for some reason." " Ok. Thank you. Where is the palace?" I pointed to the north, towards what looked like a giant oak tree. " In there. It's much bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside." With that she walked off in the direction of the palace. I had nothing to do, so I just wandered around town for a few hours thinking about nothing in particular.

Around lunchtime I headed for my house and found Amy, Sally, Bunny, and Rouge talking to my parents. They all turned around as I entered. Amy waved as I walked in and shut the door. " Hi Green Lightning! We were just about to have lunch. Care to join us?" " Okay. What are we having?" Bunny got up to get an extra chair. Sonic came in from the kitchen and rolled his eyes. " Salad... Why does it always have to be salad! Why can't we have chilidogs? Are you trying to turn me into a toothpick?" They all laughed at that. I found what he said strange, but kept quiet. Sally rolled her eyes and turned to him. "Sonic hedgehog, if you eat too many chilidogs, you aren't going to be able to run anywhere anymore. Sides, it won't kill you to lose a little weight." Sonic turned to me then back to Sally. " Seems like he's finally here. Can we hurry up and get this over with so I can get the awful taste out of my mouth already?" Amy pulled out her hammer and threw it at him, hitting him in the head. " OW! What was that for!" Amy shrugged. "Got tired of hearing you complain about salads. Now get a chair and sit down. We are about to eat. And don't bother looking for ranch dressing. There isn't any here." A look of defeat crossed Sonic's face as he sat down. Bunny came back from the kitchen with my chair and sat down in her own.

Just then there was a knock at the door. I walked over and answered it. Standing there, holding a stack of papers was Aleena. " Oh! Hello Green Lightning. Good to see you again." She held out her hand for some reason. I looked at it, confused. She withdrew her hand. " Sally? I'm done with the registration." Sally turned back towards the door. " You're just in time for lunch! Care to join us?" She shrugged her shoulders. " Sure. I don't have anything else planned for today. What are you having?" Sonic groaned. " Salad..." Amy smacked him on the head with her hammer before he could let out any more insults. Bunny went back in the kitchen for another chair. She set it down next to mine. I went over and sat down with everyone. Taking up most of the table was a large bowl of salad.

Everyone except myself began chatting idly about nothing in particular as they ate. An hour later the salad was gone and the bowls taken away. My mom looked at me. " Green Lightning, the Kintushian Combat Academy will be starting next month. We have already enrolled you in it. Just to let you know, Fangor is going to be one of the teachers there. I hope you do well." I nodded. I got up from the table and went to my room to read a few of the books that were still left unread up there. I began reading up on the first fifty years of the Kintusians in a book entitled "Kintushian Chronicles: A Tale of Betrayal. I guess I must have dozed off while reading it, because when I came around, the thing called a 'clock' next to my bed (why is it called a clock? So many things to get used to...) read 8:52 PM. I put the book back on the shelf and headed downstairs. Everyone was still there talking to each other.

Aleena looked up from her conversation with Sally. " Hi Green Lightning! Did you have a nice nap?" I was confused. " How did you know I was asleep?" She smiled. " Your mom asked me to go check on you about every hour or so after you went up there. First time up there you were lying on the bed asleep with a book in your hands." I blushed. Just then the door opened. " Aleena? isn't it about time for you to go home?" She glanced at a metallic object on her wrist and gasped. Fangor pointed towards an alley. " That's the fastest way back to the 40's lots. Be careful." He turned towards Sally. " Well, I'm off to do my night patrol, although I can't see at night. Oh, well. My ears are good enough." He walked off towards the east side of town to begin his patrol.

A few minutes later Aleena got her things together and got ready to leave. She said goodbye to everyone and walked out the door. I went up to my room and got ready for bed. At about 9:34 PM, it started storming. _I feel something strange about this storm... like it's a bad omen..._ Just then Aleena reached the center of the alley and brutish thugs began closing in on her from both ends. _Where is Fangor? Aleena's in trouble!_ I saw them remove metalic black objects from their hips and decided that I had better act fast. I grabbed my cloak from next to the door and ran downstairs. All the lights were off indicating everyone was asleep. The storm began escalating, violent lightning flashing everywhere. I opened the front door only to have it nearly blown out of my hand. I ran out of the house, taking care to shut the door on the way out. I sped off towards the alley, climbing the fire escape next to one of the buildings that formed a wall of the alley. I reached the roof and dropped down from above, right in front of where Aleena was backed against a wall. They suddenly backed up, looking as though they had seen a ghost. " Hey, Boss? Isn't that the kid that trounced us back when we were in school?" " Shut up, Mugsy! Just start shooting!" With that they pointed the weapons at me and began shooting.

I closed my eyes and held out my arms in defiance, protecting Aleena. Not even one of their projectiles reached us. I was confused. And by the looks on their faces, they were as well. " What's going on, Boss? That brat should be swiss cheese by now!" Suddenly a dark voice emmited from one end of the alley. " Leave the prince alone, you fools! He is ours to kill! Now you will pay for your mistake!" Suddenly fireball spells errupted in swarms from both ends of the alley, turning both of the thugs into ash. 7 Black Robe gang members closed in from all sides. " And now you die, your royal shortness!" They all prepared for several flamestrike spells, grinning menacingly. I raised my hand as if to stop the spells, and one of my medalions glowed very brightly. A staff appeared in front of me, and a pillar of bright white light shot towards the sky. I grasped the staff, and the beam kept getting larger. They had already lost their concentration on their spells, causing them to fail. The light stopped suddenly, then they turned back towards me. " Nice light show. Too bad you're going to die. Burn him!" With that, they prepared their spells again. Just then, an extra powerful bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating a figure standing on a roof behind them. "Stop this at once, or cease to live! I am Fangor, Knight of Justice! Remove your presence from here at once!" With that he jumped down between the Black Robes and ourselves. They immediately backed away, looking very angry that someone had stopped them from killing me. Before they left, they slammed me over the head with staves, leaving me out cold.

**December 8**

I awoke the next morning in the hospital again, drowsy with my entire body aching. I looked over to the side and saw Aleena there, looking at me and smiling. " Glad to see you are awake! You took quite a beating before Fangor arrested all of them. Are you feeling alright?" I shook my head. " I ache all over. What is today?" She looked at the calendar on the wall. " Sunday the 8th of December. I heard school starts tommorrow." " I've already graduated. I'm just waiting for the Freedom Fighter academy to open." She smiled. "I'm going there next year. I've just gotta finish out this school year here and then I can go. I heard it ends this Friday?" I nodded. Suddenly she leaned forward and hugged me. I winced a little in pain. " Thanks for saving me, Green Lightning." Just then the door opened and in came... _Tikal!_ She walked towards the bed, smiling. " It's been a while, Green Lightning. How are you feeling?" I smiled. " Aside from aching all over, I feel fine." Aleena let go of me and turned towards Tikal. " Hello. I am Aleena. Who are you and how do you know Green Lightning?" She pulled out a book and gave it to her. " I am Tikal. This book will tell you how I met Green Lightning and also his story before he met me." I sat up and got out of the bed, feeling slight pain as I walked towards the door. " See you at the academy Green Lightning." Aleena said as I walked out the door. I immediately ran back in, remembering my cloak that was lain beside the bed. Tikal and Aleena giggled. I walked out of the hospital and headed for my house, careful to avoid cars when crossing the road.

When I opened my front door my mom ran up to me, hugging me and crying. " I thought I would never see you again! You could have been killed if Fangor hadn't have shown up! Please don't go running off like that again!" She broke down, crying harder and sqeezing tighter. I was in terrible pain from the squeezing, but I kept my composure. After about 5 minutes she released me and stopped crying. She walked up to her room and shut the door behind her. I turned around and shut the front door. After I hung my cloak next to the door, I went to the kitchen to see if there was any salad left. I was greeted at the door by Amy. She smiled as I approached. " Glad to see you up and about. Everyone was worried about you! I can't believe you went off on your own down an alley! You should know better than that!" Sonic came from the fridge. " Don't be so hard on the kid, Ames. He was trying to save someone for crying out loud! Give him some credit, sheesh!" She looked down and shook her head. " Sorry, Green Lightning." I nodded. " Nothing to worry about."

I walked towards the fridge to get something to eat. I opened the door only to be greeted by an empty fridge. _Hmm..._ " Hey, guys? Where's all the salad?" Amy giggled. " We ate all of it last night. Your dad went to the store with Sally, Bunnie, Antonie, Rotor, and Fangor to get some shopping done. Your mom said she would go to bed when she got home and asked us to be in charge until your dad gets back." Sonic stared at the empty fridge. " Hope they bring back some chilidogs... Maybe I have some left back at my place..." He began to head for the door, but Amy stopped him by grabbing his leg. " Sonic! We're supposed to be watching Green Lightning! Your stomach can wait till they get back!" He moaned. " Alright... Hey, Amy? You know that new student at the school, Aleena? I heard from headmistress Nora that she will be in your class." She smiled. " Then it will be easier for us to get to know each other!" Sonic looked at me and ran his eyes the length of my body. " Hmm... No bandages... You feeling better?" I nodded. " Only hurts when someone sqeezes me. Aside from that, I'm fine."

I walked out of the kitchen and went to my room. I decided that I'd finish the book I had started the previous day and then get some sleep before my dad got home. It took me 30 minutes to finish the book. I slept for about 5 hours before I got up and went downstairs. it was 12:57 PM when I got downstairs. Shadow was there, bragging about how he was better than Sonic while Amy sat there looking rather annoyed. All three looked up when I opened my door. Shadow smirked. " Well, if it isn't the little hero! Don't get yourself too beat up, kid!" He laughed a little before being smacked on the head by Amy's hammer. He rubbed the spot where it had hit while scowling at her. Just then there was a knock at the door. I walked over and opened it. My dad was there with sacks of groceries, not just fruit. Behind him was Fangor, carrying a few more. " Glad to see you up and about, son. You feeling alright? You weren't too good when Fangor gave us the news." I nodded and stepped out of the way. Sonic looked up and drooled a bit. " FOOD! Finally!" Amy smacked him with her hammer. " That's a rather rude greeting!" Fangor walked to the kitchen without saying anything. He set the groceries on the counter next to the fridge and came back in the living room. He turned towards me. " I have something for you at the hospital. I would like for you to come by before you eat." I nodded and followed him to the hospital.

We walked up to the reception desk, Fangor looking as serious as ever. " Ah, Fangor! Is he ready for the treatment?" Fangor nodded. The nurse pointed to the right, down the specialized treatments and surgeries corridor. " Room 387E. The doctor will be in shortly." He nodded and we went down the hall. After passing 37 seemingly identical doors marked with numbers, we finally reached the room. " On the bed, young one." A voice came from behind a desk around a corner. I looked up at Fangor and he nodded. I walked over to the bed and climbed into the middle of it and laid down. The doctor grabbed a cup from the counter behind him and brought it to me. " Drink this and lay your head down. The treatment will be done in a matter of minutes, but I don't want you to be awake during it. It would leave an unsettling feeling in your stomach. Drink all of it, but don't be hasty. It won't take affect till all of it is gone." He turned towards Fangor. " Take the cup from him when he finishes. I will be getting the necessary supplies from the closet." I slowly drank the liquid in the cup. It tasted like fresh apple juice, only a bit sweeter. As soon as the cup was drained, I felt very sleepy. My wrist began shaking, and the cup was removed from my hand. I yawned and fell asleep.

" You may wake up now. We are done." I opened my eyes, still feeling the effects of the drink. I looked at the clock and it read 7:15 PM. I groaned. " Sorry, Green Lightning. I didn't know the drink would be so effective on one so young. It was only supposed to last 30 minutes! Oh well. The treatment is done and has succeeded. You should now be able to digest anything that a normal person would be able to eat. Stay away from caffine, though. I've heard it's bad for you." Fangor left the room, and I soon followed. My stomache growled a bit as we walked towards the exit. " Don't worry, kid. Your mom is making something special tonight." With that, we took off towards my house.

After walking through the door, I was greeted by an aroma that made my stomach growl even louder. I heard a giggle from next to the kitchen door. I turned to see who it was, and was greeted by Aleena and Tikal. " Seems like someone brought their appetite! Ready to eat?" I nodded. Tikal went into the kitchen and came back with a chair. " According to your mom, we're having something special tonight." I walked to the table and sat down. Tikal walked back into the kitchen with Aleena, smiling as they left. A few minutes later Sally, Amy, Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, Rouge, Tikal, Aleena, Bunnie, Antonie, Fangor, Mom, and Dad came out of the kitchen carrying all sorts of food and set them on the table. Everyone took their seats and Mom got up to serve the food. Many foods I hadn't seen before were set on each plate, and we were having something called 'pie' for desert. I grabbed a fork and knife and started carving what they refered to as 'steak'. It was like carving through butter. I shoved a piece in my mouth, being carful not to choke on it. It was one of the best foods I had tasted yet! I moved on to the 'sausage', a kind of flat disk of meat. I bit into it and immediately wanted water. That thing was hot! I swallowed and quickly reached for the beverage, being careful not to spill it. I took a drink, expecting water or fruit juice. What I tasted instead was something they called 'Coke Cola'. It tasted good, but burned my tounge a bit. After everyone finished eating (Sonic had 5 servings of almost everything except the salad, Fangor only had 1 serving of everything, and I topped it off at 50 servings of everything except the sausages.) Mom went into the kitchen and came back with some sort of bread sitting in a tin. She carved everyone a slice and refilled the drinks. I took a bite of the pie, and flavor rushed to my mouth. It tasted like cherry, with some sort of sweet bread as well.

After we finished, I started feeling tired. I got up from the table and nearly fell when I stood on the floor. I started walking forward and nearly fell. I was quite drowsy. Aleena caught me before I hit the floor. Mom looked over at me, noticing my fall. " Aleena? Could you please take him to bed? I think he ate too much." Everyone got a laugh out of that. I tried walking forward and had my legs taken out from under me. It didn't take very long for sleep to overcome me. _I dreamed that night about the Dark Kintushian again, and also about saving Aleena the previous day. He stood in the alley, watching my actions while glaring angrily. After the 7 Black Robe gang members showed up, he started grinning evily. " Why did you save such a weak creature that you could have easily have slain? Are you so weak that you would help them? They are your subordinates! You should command them, not save them! You are weak... You don't deserve life... Death should have been your reward... but then..." The lightning flash happened and Fangor appeared in the midst of it. He jumped down as he had the other night, standing between Aleena, myself, and the Black Robe gang. The Dark Kintushian turned back towards me. "... He showed up! You should have died! Do yourself a favor and next time you decide to save someone, kill yourself!" With that, the dream faded, leaving me feeling hot, feverish, and as though a cold, dark fear gripped my heart. The fear that next time I try to save someone... I won't be able to._

**Third person POV**

**The next day**

December 9

It was 3:10 in the afternoon. Almost time for school to end for the day. Many students in Amy Rose's English class were perched on the edge of their seats, waiting to be able to go home. 3:15... The bell rang and all the students in the class ran out the door... Everyone... except Aleena. She appeared to be daydreaming with her English book still under her desk. Amy got up from her desk and walked towards the back of the room, knowing something was on the girl's mind. " Aleena? The bell rang. Aren't you going to go home?" Aleena slung her head back in surprise, not expecting anyone to interrupt her fantasy. "Aleena? Is something wrong? You seemed distracted all day. Do you need to see the nurse?" Aleena just smiled and shook her head. She looked at Amy, beaming. " I think I know why you were daydreaming all through class. It's a boy isn't it?" Aleena blushed an nodded. Amy smiled. " Ahh! Very good! Who is it?" Aleena giggled a bit. " Green Lightning. But I don't know if he likes me..." Amy thought for a second, then snapped her fingers. " I've got it! We'll hold a Christmas party at Fangor's house this Christmas! Then you can get him under the mistletoe! That should clear things up!" They both giggled. Aleena grabbed her bag and took the sheet of paper she had hidden in her English book before the teacher could notice. " Bye Amy! And thank you!" Amy smiled and waved. " Good luck and bye!" Aleena giggled as she left.

**Green Lightning's POV**

**December 25/Christmas!**

I woke up and looked out the window. _A white Christmas yet again... Wonder what's going to happen this year..._ I grabbed my cloak from the coatrack next to the door and slipped it on. I went over to my bookshelf and thumbed through the selection. _Read that... and that... and these as well..._ I had read every book I had and every book in the Knothole library. _Well, guess I'll just sit here till Mom calls up for breakfast._ I got up on my bed and slipped back under the covers, figuring I would catch some more sleep while I waited. I looked at the clock. _6:30 am... 2 hours till Mom gets up..._ I shut my eyes and drifted off to sleep. Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I sat up, yawning as I opened my eyes. Aleena was standing there, smiling. " Breakfast is ready. Want to come down with me?" I felt myself blush for some reason. _Probably nothing to worry about..._ " Alright. Let me grab my amulets." I reached over to my nightstand, grabbing the two amulets that laid there. The staff was still glowing for some reason. _ Could mean it's no longer dormant or something like that..._ I stood up and Aleena grabbed my hand. I could feel myself blushing again. _ What is going on?_ We walked down the stairs and greeted everyone that was there. Sonic and Shadow were having their usual arguments, Amy and Sally were discussing something about a person that had been missing ever since about a year before I showed up, Bunnie, Antonie, Knuckles, Rouge, and Tikal were discussing the Chaos emeralds, and Mom and Dad were sitting at the table, trying to strike up a conversation with Fangor about what the Christmas party was going to be like this year. Fangor appeared to be lost in his thoughts like he usually was around the holidays. This was going to be Knothole's first Christmas, and mine. The last decade had been spent getting other towns back on their feet and forging alliances with them. When we reached the bottom step everyone looked up. " MERY CHRISTMAS!" Everyone except Fangor yelled. He didn't even seem to notice.

Just then the door opened and in came Rotor, covered in snow. I looked at him. " What happened? Did you fall into a snow drift?" Rotor shook his head. " Snow drifts aren't a problem with me, shorty." He turned to the others. " Careful going outside. There's a town-wide snowball fight going on." Sonic and Shadow grinned before running out the still open door. Rotor shut the door and sat down at the table. He began talking to my mom and dad about his latest invention based on another Kintushian design. Fangor suddenly whipped his head around at me. " Everyone except you and Aleena has already ate. Once you two are done, we will proceed." He snapped back into his thoughts as though nothing had happened. Aleena shoved me into a chair. " I'll go get breakfast. You wait here." I shrugged my shoulders as she went into the kitchen. A few minutes later she came back with two plates of pancakes covered in syrup. She set one in front of me and the other in front of a chair next to it, then went back into the kitchen to get forks. She came back and sat down next to me, handing me a fork. We ate quickly, it being early morning. After we finished I tried to get up to wash my plate only to be shoved back into the chair. Aleena smiled at me. " I'll wash them." She grabbed both plates and the forks and headed for the kitchen. Amy looked at me, smiling. " Why are you blushing?" " I don't know... Is something wrong with me?" Amy giggled and shook her head. Aleena came back and just then Sonic and Shadow came back in arguing about who won the snowball fight. Amy smacked them both on the head with her hammer. " Can't you two go ONE holiday without arguing!" They smirked and headed over to the table. Amy glanced around at everyone. "Alright, everyone. Remember, at 6 tonight, be at Fangor's house. The Christmas party is going to be held there. DON'T be late." She looked straight at me. " And as for you, be careful on the way over. We don't know whether or not the Black Robe gang is able to escape from the jail or not, but it can't hurt to be extra cautious. We've already lost one friend. We don't want to lose another." I nodded.

6:00 PM...

THE PARTY!

I was the first to arrive, having eaten supper at 5:30 and ran over at top speed. I sat down in a big cuishion chair next to the lit fireplace, and I think I fell asleep, because when I looked around again, everyone else was already there. I sat there, eyes closed, enjoying the warmth of the fire. I was very relaxed. Just when I was about to drift off to sleep, I heard someone call my name. " Green Lightning? Could you come here please?" I got up out of the chair, nearly falling forward as I jumped 2 feet to the floor. I walked over to where I had heard the voice come from, near the front hallway. Aleena was standing there. " Hi Aleena. Did you need something?" She nodded and pointed up. I looked up and saw a couple of berries attached to a few leaves. _ Mistletoe... Wonder why she wanted me to see this?_ She took my hands in hers. Everyone turned and looked. " You know what the tradition with mistletoe is don't you?" I thought about it for a moment and remembered reading about it in a book somewhere. The normal version was just tradition. The Kintushian-modified version had a bit of magic in it. It was said that the Kintushian variety had the power of bringing two people that were meant for each other under it. There wasn't any way to tell the difference between either, or so it has been written. I looked back at her. " Guess I might as well." She put one arm behind my back, brought me in close, turned me over to where my back rested on one of her knees and I faced the ceiling, then she kissed me on the lips. It felt like my heart was on fire... My head felt faint... I felt as though I never wanted that moment to end... I went limp as butter in her arms... The mistletoe flashed a light pink, not like usual mistletoe... She stood me back up, helping me keep from falling over. Everyone began clapping and cheering. " What was that feeling? I feel something that I have never felt before..." She smiled and hugged me. I heard Amy whisper something to Sally, Tikal, Bunnie, and Mom. " I think they're in love!" They all smiled and giggled. I suddenly fainted for no apparent reason. When I came to, I was lying on the couch, with Aleena looking down at me. " I think you were overwhelmed." She giggled. I sat up and she sat down next to me. She put her head on my shoulder and wrapped her arms around me. " I love you, Green Lightning... I never want this moment to end..." I smiled. " I think I love you too..." She looked in my eyes, a deep look in here eyes. " You'll always be there to protect me, won't you?" I nodded. With that, we embraced each other, closed our eyes, and went to sleep.

FINALLY! This chapter took a while to get up... It was SUPPOSED to be the Christmas special... but thanks to someone who will not be mentioned... coughothercoughcomputer!cough It was delayed by 5 months. Well, at last it is finished. Hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for Chapter 6: A Barrier Broken

Also, there will be LOTS of violence next chapter. Read and review please!


	13. Guardian of the Forest Part 2: Chapter 6

Alright, as usual, I only own the Kintushians currently in the story (nobody has submitted a Kintushian character yet), Fangor, Green Lightning, and Green Lightning's parents. Sonic and his friends are owned by Sega. Aleena is owned by FoxFan999. If you wish to use Fangor or Green Lightning, or add your character to my story, please post a comment here to request. Now on to the story.

Chapter 6: A Barrier Broken

**Later that night, on the roof...**

**Fangor's POV**

I had gone up to the roof so I wouldn't have to bother with the party, and so I could be alone with my thoughts. I found that since few people could reach the roof, I would be alone most of the night. _Alone... just the way I want to be right now. I don't belong at parties. Nothing to talk about, nobody to talk to. _ I sat up there a good while, just thinking. I felt as though my problems were all gone, as if they had never exsisted. Except I could never really push those few thoughts out of my mind... _I failed to keep him from being captured... I failed to get to the base in time to save him... and now I must wait for him to be found before I can use the order emeralds..._ I sighed. There was no sense in dwelling on past mistakes that you can't do anything about at the moment.

About an hour passed, everyone had gone home, not even noticing my absence. After everyone left, it got very quiet. I waited a few minutes, making sure everyone was gone. Just then I heard the sound of bells heading my way. I stood up and tried to focus on the sound, as I could not see in the dark. I blocked out my sense of sight to strengthen all other senses. I turned around to the south, where the sound of the bells were coming from. I released my restraint on my sight, allowing me to see again. There was a red light in the sky, heading towards my roof. _What could it be? They don't have airports or planes here... Robotnik hasn't been seen in at least 9 years... could it be a meteor? Well, whatever it is, if it's hostile, I will most likely be prepared to fight it._ I sat down and closed my eyes with my arms resting on my legs. A few minutes later I heard something land on the roof. I stood up and saw a fat man in a big red suit holding a lantern and smiling at me. _Can't be Robotnik... he wouldn't come anywhere near this close to me._ I looked down at the man. "Who are you, why are you here, and how did you get here?" He laughed, something like "ho, ho, ho!" and then said, " You've never heard of me? I'm Santa Claus! Ho! Ho! Ho!" I just stared. " Jolly Saint Nick? Chris Cringle? No? Oh well. You Kintushians were always too busy to celebrate holidays anyways. By the way, sorry I'm late. Kintushians are hard to track, ya know. Ho! Ho! Ho!" I nodded my head. He went into his sort of big sled and grabbed something out of a bag. " I have something for you, Fangor. An old friend of yours. I believe you are quite familiar with it." He handed me a scabbard with the handle of a sword sticking out. I drew the sword out of it's scabbard, and smiled widely. " The Sword of Justice! I thought that had been lost forever! I thank ye, kind sir, for obtaining it for me. How much do you take for these services?" He shook his head, smiling. " My services are free, Fangor. It is Christmas, after all." I saluted him in the Kintushian fashion (hand you write with above the eye that is on the same side, with tailblade above other eye.), and attached the scabbard to the right side of my belt. "Well, I must be going now. Many other children to see. Merry Christmas, Fangor!" WIth that, he got in his giant sled and took off.

**January 7**

**Green Lightning's POV**

"Green Lightning! It's time to get ready to go to the academy! Wake up!" My mom called from downstairs, waking me from another nightmare about Fangor being stabbed while trying to save someone. I rolled over and looked at the clock. 4:30 AM. I groaned. I had forgotten to pack a time-keeping device. I decided I would take my new watch for the job. I checked my temporal vortex to see if I had everything. _Laptop, 500 pencils, 500 pounds of notebook paper, dresser, bed, desk, 4 chairs, comb, 3 bars of soap, 12 bottles of shampoo... What else do I need... Oh!_ I went into my closet and dragged out the books I got for Christmas presents that I still hadn't finished reading (3650 out of 4380) and put them in the temporal vortex as well. I decided to pack a picture of my mom and dad as well, just for memories sake. I closed the vortex, causing me to pant a little from the excertion. "COME ON GREEN LIGHTNING! YOU'RE HOLDING US UP!" Came a voice from outside the window. I looked out and saw Sonic next to his car. He had volunteered to drive Aleena and myself over to the portal to the academy. "I'm waaaiiitiiing!" Sonic said with a cocked eyebrow. " I gotta eat first, Sonic!" He sighed and said something under his breath. I went downstairs where Mom was cooking breakfast. She turned around as I entered the kitchen.

"Pancakes are on the table, dear. Oh, and please invite your friends in. I'm sure they're hungry too." I went to the front door and opened it. Aleena and Sonic were standing there. "Something smells good!" Aleena said as the door opened. " Mom's making pancakes. She asked that I invite you in for breakfast." Aleena grinned and ran into the dining room, pulling a few chairs up to the table. About 10 minutes later we were in Sonic's car. After Aleena and I got our seatbelts on, Sonic 'floored it'. Aleena was immediately shoved back in the seat. Soon after that I heard police sirens. Sonic pulled over to the side of the road, sweating nervously. The officer stopped his car right behind us and walked up to Sonic. "Do you know how fast you were going! This is a 40mph zone and you were doing 325! Do you know what kind of fine that could get you!" Sonic grinned nervoulsy. "Sorry officer. Not used to going so slow and we're running late for the academy." The officer sighed. "I'll let you off with a warning this time. Next time I will confiscate your liscense. And don't be going that fast again with children in the car!" He looked at me. " How are you going to get home after these two get to the academy?" Sonic shook his head. " I'm not getting enrolled in the academy. These two are. Fangor enrolled both of them after graduation." The officer nodded. " Very well. Get going, and mind the speed limit!" Sonic's face turned red as he got back in the car. " Well, that was... awkward." I checked my watch. 5:30AM. "3 hours till it starts, Sonic. Please don't exceed the speed limit again, alright?" Sonic's face turned a deeper shade of red. The trip proceeded without further incident.

When we arrived at the moongate, Sonic let out a low whistle. " Immpressive! How do they get something like this to stay?" I shook my head. " I don't think you would understand it Sonic. Well, see ya when we graduate... or when we get vacation time." We waved as we went through the moongate, Aleena holding one of my hands as we went through. The first thing I noticed when we arrived, aside from the size of the building, was a HUGE ship in the sky that had a moongate directly under it that many 5-10 feet tall Kintushians were coming out of. The building was big enough to have housed Knothole and still have room for Robotniks base, Mystic Palace, Angel Island, and several swimming pools. South of us was a huge forest with some sort of forcefield covering it. We turned towards what looked like the front doors of the school and ran to it. After about 30 minutes we reached it, gasping for breath. We opened the doors and went inside.

Immediately a sheet of paper appeared in front of each of us. On the back mine said: "Green Lightning--Room 307Deluxe

Instructor--Fangor Thunderbolt--Master of the Sword

Classes--History of the Sword, Tactical Combat, Advanced Alchemy, Formation Combat, Combination Combat, Freestyle Combat"

Aleena looked over. " Looks like we have the same classes and will be sharing a room." She smiled. She showed me her sheet of paper. Her instructor was named "Akara Niphedel--Mistress of the Forge" I smiled. "Different instructors though. Well, we'd better get to our room." I walked up to a map on the wall. It had every room number listed and the name of the room beside the number. They looked sort of like buttons. I found the one for 307 and pushed it. I heard the whirring of a moongate forming behind me. We turned around an entered it, appearing in a long hallway. We turrned around and the moongate had disapeared. Aleena read the number on the door that had been hidden by the moongate. "307. Occupants: Aleena and Green Lightning. Room is paid for by Fangor Thunderbolt." She turned to me. " Seems like he's already a good friend! Well, shall we go in?" She opened the door and we were greeted by a glamorously decorated room (more like a many room house!) that had all our stuff moved in already. At one end there was a large pool (looked to be the size of a lake and about 20 feet deep) the walls were trimmed with gold, There were signs on the doors leading into our rooms, there were two seperate bathrooms with working bathroom fixtures, there was a snack bar, a coffee machine, even a soda machine! Aleena whistled in astonishment. "They weren't kidding when it said "deluxe" were they?" I looked at the door again and saw that dust was covering part of the sign. The part that was right after "deluxe" read: "Couples room. Boyfriend/Girlfriend; Husband/Wife, etc." She grinned. " Guess that's another reason why he got it for us." I checked my watch. 12:00PM it read. Aleena looked over. " Guess we'd better find the cafeteria, eh?" I agreed. I walked outside and looked next to the door. "Another one of those maps! Convenient!" I looked through it till I saw "Cafeteria". I pushed the button for room 500. We stepped through the new moongate.

I opened the door to the cafeteria and was immediately tackled from behind. " Look out!" My assailant said as she knocked me into a wall. I stood up, woozy from hitting the wall so hard. " Sorry, kid. Didn't mean to hit you that hard." Aleena helped me to my feet. We looked over to who had knocked me into the wall. A blue echidna stared at us with custard in her quills. " I'm Esna, and this is my brother, Leadfoot. Sorry about knocking you into the wall, but you shouldn't just go walking into the cafeteria like that." The black echidna behind her cracked his knuckles. " Must be new here. Well, we've gotta go eat and you look like you could use a few extra pounds." He said, poking me in the stomach. " How much do you weigh, anyways? 20 pounds?" He chuckled. " I'm Green Lightning, and I only weigh 10 pounds." His mouth gaped open. " ONLY 10 POUNDS! You must be sick or something!" Aleena got a laugh out of that. " Come on. We'll get you to a safe spot in the cafeteria that they don't seem to throw food at. Be sure to duck though. This food fight isn't going to end, according to Jemerai, one of the Kintushians we met before going in here." He ducked and opened the door as a custard pie flew in his direction followed by several fried chicken legs. " Stay down." We ran low to the ground, dodging food as we went. We arrived at a far, untouched corner of the cafeteria. The table was empty when we arrived. Leadfoot turned to me. " Hey, Green Lightning? Could you stay here and guard the place while we go get some food? I'll try to find something 'edible' in the line." With that Esna and Leadfoot ran to the self-serve line while dodging food.

They came back covered in fried chicken grease and custard pie. Aleena looked at what they had brought and her jaw dropped in disgust. " THAT is EDIBLE!" I looked at it. I don't know what it was, but it looked like charcoal glop that had been discarded from a science experiment and had ranch dressing dribbled over it to make it look 'edible'. Esna smiled. " It tastes better than it looks, trust me. I had some for breakfast." They gave us each a bowl and took one each for themselves. Leadfoot shrugged his shoulders. " Guess if I'm going to die, might as well make it food that kills me. Bottoms up!" He raised his bowl and began pouring it's contents in his mouth. After he finished he put the bowl down with a satisfied look on his face. " Tastes like pinnapple!" We each devoured our 'soup' and Leadfoot ran and put the bowls in the wash basin. "Hey, what rooms are you two staying in?" I pulled out my paper and handed it to them. Aleena followed suit. " No way! You two share a room?" Esna said, staring at the papers in disbelief. Leadfoot whistled low. " You both have the same classes, too!" Esna grinned. " May we see your room? After we wash up, of course." I shrugged. " I'm leaving that decision to Aleena." Aleena smiled. " Sure, why not?" We all headed out of the cafeteria, getting hit by the seemingly multiplied amount of food flying through the air. Outside the cafeteria we went to our seperate rooms to get washed up. Aleena giggled as we arrived outside our door. " You're a mess! Even Ramia's little brother hasn't gotten that messy, and he's your age!" She looked at my shirt, shorts, and shoes. " How come those didn't get dirty?" I shrugged. "Magic, I guess." We both went into our seperate bathrooms and took showers. After I dried off, got dressed, and combed my fur down, I walked into the living room. I got a good look around the place before i heard a knock at the door. Aleena yelled from the bathroom, " Just a minute! I'm getting dressed!" The knocking discontinued. I walked into my room and put my cloak up on the coatrack by the door. " Green Lightning! The guests are here!"

I ran to the living room and stopped before I ran into anyone. Esna was gawking at the sign on the door. " You're married!" Was her first remark. Aleena and I replied in unison, " No!" Aleena finished up with: " We're too young for that! We just met a couple of weeks before last Christmas!" Esna grinned. " Then you must be boyfriend and girlfriend! Lucky!" Aleena blushed and giggled. Esna looked at the sign again. " Deluxe, funded by Fangor... Now THAT is LUXURY!" Aleena giggled more. Leadfoot stepped in. " Can we have a tour of the place, Aleena?" Aleena nodded. "Green Lightning? Why don't you go read a few of your books while you wait? This is going to take a while." I went into my room, shutting the door behind me. I grabbed a book at random from the shelf and read it, only being interrupted by a shout from the kitchen: " NO WAY! You have a refrigerator that restocks itself with REAL food! And a snackbar too! LUUUUCKY!" This was accomponied by Esna and Aleena's giggles. " Wait till you see our rooms!" I stuck my head out of my bedroom door. " Could you keep it down, please? I'm trying to read!" I heard Leadfoot whisper to the other two. " He can READ!" This was accomponied by Aleena giggling. " He's alot smarter than it would seem for his age. I heard from his mom that he graduated in 3 weeks!" Leadfoot laughed. " If that doesn't make me feel stupid, I don't know what will!" "We'll see my room first so Green Lightning can finish his book. He isn't very happy when he is disturbed during his reading." I heard Aleena's bedroom door open, followed by a low whistle from Leadfoot and giggles from Esna.

"Silk curtains, a hot tub and spa, queen size canopy bed, and a door into your boyfriend's room! Everything a girl needs! I envy you!" Esna said, giggling. I finished the book I was reading and put it on another shelf where all the other books I had finished went. Just then a door near the head of my bed opened, revealing 3 gawking people staring into my room. " I've heard the term bookworm, but this is ridiculous! You've got an entire library in here!" Leadfoot said after recovering from the shock. Esna walked over to a corner of my room and spotted my laptop sitting there. " Wow! He even has a laptop! What kind of internet connection does it have?" I looked in the manual in the top-left mahogony desk drawer and flipped to the section marked internet protocol. " IXC3-XK88-20751. Or, to put it short, ALPHA 2.0" She whistled in astonishment. " Definetly luxery!" Leadfoot walked over to my bed and ran his hand along the covers and pillows. " What is this, velvet? It feels softer than anything I've ever touched! Even Aleena's silk covers aren't this soft!" I pulled out a scanner from my temporal vortex, panting from the straint of such powerful magic, and pointed it at the covers. The screen on the scanner read: "Kintushian velvet" Esna looked in my closet and took something out of it. " A tuxedo in your size! Nice!" Aleena's mouth dropped open. " I didn't know you had that in there! How come you never wear it?" I shrugged my shoulders. " I didn't know either. Besides, I prefer what I am wearing now." Aleena ran over to the closet and began combing through it, looking at all the clothes that I had never known were in my closet at home. " Let's see... a Robin Hood custume comeplete with hat... UGH! This Golden Robe is heavy! Is it made of real gold!" I frowned. " Please don't drag that out. Lots of bad memories accompany it." She nodded. She eventualy closed the door after insisting that I wear the tuxedo and the Robin Hood suit at some point. Eventually Esna and Leadfoot left, promising to visit our 'house' sometime. After they left I checked my watch. 6:30 PM it read. " Aleena? Want to go to the food fight and see if the food has improved?" Aleena laughed and shook her head. " I'm going to see if I can find anything good in the fridge. Go wait at the table, ok?" I nodded and went to the long dining table that was made to seat 24. I must have fallen asleep at the table, because I was startled by Aleena setting food in front of me. " I found a few pizzas in the freezer and cooked them in the oven for us. Should be safer to eat than the experiments in the cafeteria." We both laughed at that.

After eating, She looked at the clock above the living room door. " 9:30 PM... I think we should get to bed now. I'll put the plates up." Just then there was a knock at the door. I went to answer it as Aleena went to take care of the dishes. What greeted me was a pair of legs until I looked up. A 8-foot tall Kintushian towered over me. He kneeled down on one knee and looked me directly in the eye. " Classes start tommorrow. I don't want EITHER of you giving the teachers a hard time, ESPECIALLY not Fangor. Is that CLEAR!" I nodded. Just then a fist flew into the side of his head, followed by a thud as he hit the wall. " How many times do I have to tell you! I don't care if you ARE the principal of this academy, DO NOT YELL AT THE STUDENTS! Especially not Green Lightning! Don't make me have to settle this at the arena! Is that CLEAR!" The other Kintushian got up and rushed the individual that had hit him, missing and crashing into another wall. I immediately recognized the attacker as he appeared in front of the door. Fangor rolled his shoulders. " You really think you could get the jump on me like that?" The other Kintushian replied: " See you at the arena, Fangor. And bring that freak with you! He's dead after I'm done with you!" Fangor shrugged his shoulders. " Your passing. Just be sure not to let the ceiling hit you on the way out." Fangor turned to me as the other Kintushian stormed off. " Sorry you had to see that. He's been yelling at all the students today just because he is a general. Well, we're going to have to get a new principal tommorrow. I have a feeling that our current one won't be leaving the arena the way he entered." With that,Fangor walked off. I shut the door and turned around only to be hugged by Aleena. " Are you ok! Did he hurt you!" " No, I'm fine." She let go of me, blushing. " Sorry. I was just worried when I heard all that yelling. YIKES! It's almost 10! Well, have a good night's rest." With that we headed for our beds.

**February 12**

I woke up in the same room I had been using for over a month now. I was far ahead in history of the sword, and in the defense part of all of my classes. I was, however, failing in the offensive parts, like I was now. " Come on you two-tailed little freak! How are you going to be able to defeat your opponent if you won't attack!" My tactical combat instructor, a hot-headed fire Kintushian named Iccoli, said as he landed another blow into the ground with his Kintushian-tin sword, causing the weapon to shatter. " Ack! Blast you! Now I have to go get another from the storage department! I'm going to kill you one of these days you weak little freak!" He ran off towards the storage facility, throwing students that didn't get out of his reach in time and cutting others with his tailblade as he passed them. I felt a hand on my shoulder and i looked up, seeing Fangor standing there with a note in one hand. " You all have tommorrow off for Valentine's day. Aleena asked me to give you this note. Well, I must be off to stop my class from killing itself in my absence." He waved and parted, heading for the 200 hall. The teacher came back, with a new sword in hand and his eyes glowing bright red. " Now you DIE!" He said as he lunged at me. I immediately parried the attack with my staff, causing the blade to break again. He immediately grabbed me with one hand, raised the other, and was about to strike when he was hit with a 'mind blast' spell. he dropped to the ground clutching his head. I looked behind him to find one of the Black Robe gang members standing there, ready to throw out another spell. " How many times must we tell you incompetents! The prince is OURS to kill! Now get back to training him so he will be a challenge when we decide to go kill him!" Iccoli was lying on the ground, comepletely blacked out from the spell. Aleena, who happened to be at the arena at the time, ran over to where I was.

" What did you do to him? He's out cold!" I shook my head. " It wasn't me. It was one of the Black Robe gang members. He hit him with a 'mind blast' spell." She shrugged her shoulders. Soon afterwards the bell rang, signaling a change of classes. After all our classes were done for the day and we had gone through a personal training session with our instructors, we headed to our 'house'. I went into my room and opened the note at my desk. It read:

Dear Green Lightning,

This is to invite you to dinner at Akino's Mixed Resteraunt tommorrow for Valentine's day. I would like for you to wear your tuxedo on this occassion, please.

Forever yours,

Alena

P.S.: Your mom said she was going to send you something today, so check your mail box next to your door when you come in.

I put the note down and checked my mailbox. Sure enough, there was an envelope inside. I opened it at my desk and out fell a letter and a ring. I read the letter thoroughly, not wanting to miss a word. Not to my surprise, it was written in Mystic.

Dear son,

I hope you are doing well in your school! I heard from Aleena that you made a couple of friends your first day there! I feel so happy for you! I have enclosed the engagement ring that your father gave me before we started dating, and thought you should have it. Stay safe and be happy! Don't forget: No matter what happens, you will always be our son and we will always love you!

Love,

Mom & Dad

I examined the ring closely, then used the scanner on it. It read: '12ct Diamond embedded into a 24ct gold ring.' I put it on my nightstand and checked my clock above my door. 7:30 PM. _Wonder what all is going to happen tommorrow?_ I went out of my room, leaving the note and letter on my desk next to my computer. I was greeted outside by Aleena who ran her fingers through the fur on my heead. " Did you get the note?" I nodded. She looked at the clock. " Well, you might want to get to bed early tonight. It's going to take a while to find that resteraunt in Knothole. I made lasagna for supper tonight. I hope you'll like it." She grabbed my hand and dragged me to the table while I tried to walk as she pulled. I sat down and began eating it. It tasted good! " Good cooking, Alena! This is tastes even better than the casserole you cooked last night! I don't see how you outdo yourself every night!" She giggled. " I'm still learning from Amy on the weekends. She said to be careful and make sure the recipes that don't contain caffine for some reason. I wonder why?" Soon after eating, I went to my room and fell asleep.

**February 13**

I woke up the next morning and saw a note on my door. I shoved a chair over to it so I could reach it and took it to my desk to read. It read:

Dear Green Lightning,

Be ready for our date by 6 tonight. And please don't forget to wear your tuxedo. I will be spending the day at the mall with Amy, Rouge, Bunny, Sally, and Esna. If you need anything, Leadfoot is right next door. See you soon!

With love,

Aleena

I looked at my watch. 6:30 AM it read. _ Plenty of time to get ready... If I knew what I was getting ready for._ I chuckled nervously to myself. I didn't have any idea what she meant by 'date'. _Oh well. I'll learn the meaning sooner or later. Now what to do today..._ I looked at the school handbook to see what activities would be available. Half-way down the list I spotted something that caught my interest. _A chess tournament, eh? Sounds like a challenge._ I left the 'house' and pushed the button for room 205. Immediately I was shoved in by some badger holding a book with a cover that resembled a chessboard with the black king knocked over. " Come in! Come in! The tournament is about to start!" He shoved me into a seat across from an armadillo that looked like it would rip me in half at any second. _Concentrate on the board... nothing else._ I turned my attention to the board. The armadillo turned the board around to where white was on his side, grinning. " You're going to lose, freak!" I shrugged. I had yet to lose at anything, so I was confident that I wouldn't lose at a chess tournament. He moved his pawn in front of his king-side bishop forward one space. _ Simple maneauver. I'll just counter with this..._ I moved my pawn in front of my queen-side bishop forward 1 space. He laughed. " I would expect such a stupid opening move from a two-tailed freak! Time to lose!" He moved his pawn in front of his king-side Knight forward two spaces. I took this opportunity to put his king in 'checkmate' using my queen. " Fools mate." I called out. Immediately the same badger that had shoved me through the door ran over to the table. He examined the board, then turned to me. "What's your name, kid?" " Green Lightning." He grabbed my hand and raised me out of my seat, about 4 feet above the ground. " And Green Lightning takes a point! Better luck next time, Butch." 'Butch' stormed out of there, taking a peice of the door with him because he didn't bother to open it. 7 matches later it was down to me and some kid wearing shades and a sash that read: '4-year chess champ'. He set up the board and we began, this time I was white, unlike all my other matches.

The match dragged on, with both of us losing peices left and right after playing conservatively for about 30 moves. I was down to a rook, my queen, and my king. He had his queen and king left, both on the eigth rank. I had just advanced my rook to the seventh rank, blocking his king from moving. He got desperate and shoved his queen into a corner, hoping to force my king toward his on his next turn. I took advantage of this by sending my queen to the eigth rank, causing a '7th heaven' checkmate. " 7th heaven checkmate." He examined the board and grinned. The referee jerked me out of my seat, causing my legs to dangle in the air again. " And another '7th heaven checkmate' victory for Green Lightning, our new chess champ!" He put me back in my chair and turned to me. " How does it feel to be the youngest chess champion in the history of Knothole?" I just shrugged my shoulders. " Great, I guess." Suddenly a camera flashed somewhere as the referee put some sort of sash over me. " You will be appearing in next week's newspaper. Congratulations!" Soon after that, I headed back to my room to see if there was anything to eat in the refridgerator.

After I ate lunch, I took a shower and put on my tuxedo. Just then I heard a knock at the front door. I looked at the clock above my bedroom door. 5:30 PM it read. _ Not time for the 'date' yet... Who could it be?_ I left my room and opened the front door. Standing there, in a red dress with red shoes and a red bow in her hair, was none other than Amy Rose. She ran her hand through my fur when she saw me. " Aww! You look so cute in that outfit! Aleena is going to love it!" I dragged out my comb and combed my fur back again. Amy giggled, the turned around. " Aleena? He's ready. I'll be waiting in the car." Amy left, using the moongate system. Aleena came into view wearing a sparkling red dress that stopped halfway between her knees and her feet. She was wearing ruby-red high heels, a pink bow in her hair, her hair was pulled back behind her shoulders, and she was wearing earings that depicted green lightning bolts. She smiled. " Amy was right! You do look cute like that!" She grabbed my hand and we left the building through the moongate. Amy was waiting outside with Sonic, who was tied up in the back seat using ropes. He didn't look too pleased in that position. Amy grabbed a camera out of her purse and snapped a picture of us as we approached the car. " Your mom is going to love this!" She grinned. She grabbed Sonic and put him in the front seat, making room for both of us in the back. " Come on! You want to get there in time to avoid rush-hour, don't you?" Aleena and I both jumped into the backseat and buckled-up.

After a thirty hour trip of listening to Amy say how she had finally caught Sonic (turns out she tied him up while he was asleep) and Sonic struggling to break free of the ropes, we were finally at the resteraunt. " I'll be back by to pick you two up at 8! Have a good time!" With that she drove off, talking about Sonic until she was out of hearing range. " I feel sorry for Sonic..." Aleena said, giggling. We walked in and were immediately shoved over to a table. _ Sheesh! Everyone's so pushy today!_ I thought as they sat menus in front of us. We both ordered the 'valentine surprise', wanting to try something new. For drinks, I ordered water and she ordered a Strawberry milkshake. When our order was ready, Aleena decided to set the table while I went to get the food. It was a mistake to leave her. When I came back she was gone, and a note was left in her place, written in heavy black ink, like that used by the Black Robe gang.

Dear weak little prince, A.K.A: Green Lightning,

We have taken your girlfriend hostage. If you ever want to see her agian... ALIVE... Enter the upcoming tournament in the 'all odds' category. Have a horrible evening, you two-tailed freak!

Hating you with a passion and jealousy,

Gregory De'osol Mundar

Leader of the Black Robe gang

Something inside of me went off... It felt like anger, only deeper... Something else made it different... It was... _ Love?_ I heard a cell-phone go off somewhere, and everyone in the resteraunt looked at me. I reached into each of my Tuxedo pockets and pulled out a cell phone that I hadn't put in there. " I'm on my way to pick you up! Aleena already called, telling me she was going to run back to the academy so she can get some exercise! See you soon!" Just then I heard a car pull up to the curb outside. I was fighting back tears as I ran out and jumped in, note hidden in a pocket of my tuxedo. About an hour later We arrived at the academy. Amy waved bye before driving off. I ran into the building and pushed the button for the room Aleena and I owned. I walked in, closed the door, turned on the lights, turned around... and there was Fangor... sitting at the table with a sheet of paper in front of him. " I have already entered you into the tournament, Green Lightning. Your only match will be against the Black Robe gang. Good luck." He said without turning towards me. " So they told you too?" I said, trying hard not to cry. He walked over to me. " It does not do well to hold in sorrow. Sometimes the best thing you can do is let go of it. Never be afraid to cry." I ran into my room and closed my door. I began sobbing on my bed until I drifted off to sleep.

**February 14**

**Day of the tournament**

I sat in the stands, between my mom and my dad. It was the 598th match that day, Fangor was against another fire Kintushian. He had already given him several scars that healed instantly, and was smirking as he hacked and slashed at his opponent almost too fast for me to see! Then multiple images of him showed up, surrounding his opponent even from the air. " And it's Fangor's patented 'cave-in' attack! This could be it, folks!" The fire Kintushian began looking around desperately. Then all of the Fangors charged him. He raised his sword directly above him and, just when all of the images struck him, we heard the sound of metal striking metal. He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as he jumped back into the fight, slashing and thrusting at Fangor with each attempt being deflected. Fangor then flipped backward, landing in a battle pose, then charging forwards and performing an upward slash, followed by several other attacks way too fast for me to see. " This is it folks! The moment you have been waiting for, Fangor is using the 'omnislash' technique! This is the end of Fraqual Firestorm!" When he stopped there was a large pool of blood on the ground where the opponent had been standing, with no trace of the opponent. Fangor sheethed his unstained sword and saluted the crowd before leaving the arena. " That as an awesome match! And, once again, Fangor wins the one-on-one matchups! Now onto the only two entries in the 'all-odds' category... the Black Robe gang! A group of seven mages bent on killing their opponent just because they are jealous of his power and stature! According to them their motto is : " Down with royalty! We will rule the universe!" Well, good luck with that. Their opponent is... Green Lightning!" A few cheers rose up near me, and that was about it. " Umm... Guardian of the Forest!" Almost the entire audience started chanting: " GUARD-I-AN! GUARD-I-AN!" I hung my head. _ They don't even care! They only know me as the Guardian of the Forest! Oh well... _I ran down to the arena floor, and immediately after entering a barriar came up seperating the audiance from the arena itself.

My oponents stood at the opposite end, staves ready and grinning menacingly. " And lets start the match!" Yelled the announcer. Immediately 7 emeralds materialized, one in each of their hands. " Let's see your power stand up to us when we go super using the 7 chaos emeralds!" Immediately there was a black flash, and they were engulfed in dark energy. I collapsed to my hands and knees, struggling to stand up until they had finished. " If you don't defeat us, or even fight us, we will kill your girlfriend!" I looked behind them and saw Aleena bound and gagged, in a chair outside the arena with several spears pointed at her from all directions. " If anyone so much as tries to help you, those spears will find a new home in the flesh of your friend!" Everyone in the audience gasped when they saw this. Immediately time seemed to stop and 8 figures stood around me, 1 of each race of Kintushian, only they looked far different... more like dragons than the Kintushians we knew today. " Child, it is time for you to fight. Call upon the power of your staff and use one of the order emeralds so you may free the girl. You must win this fight, or all is lost!" I cringed a little. " Who are you?" They all replied in unison, using a monotone voice: " We are the servers of the eight order, remenants of the order dragon. The master serves to unify our power, while the guardian serves to channel it. The power of the emeralds reflect the wishes within the heart of the one who uses it. If those wishes are evil, destruction will reign throughout the universe. However, if those wishes are good, it is said a miracle will happen. Go forth, Green Lightning. Let us be your aid in defeating these servers of the chaos!" With that they disapeared and I was immediately hit by 7 black lights, one from each of my opponents. I was immediately slammed against the barrier, in great pain. I called out my staff, then focused on drawing on the power of one of the order emeralds that would have the most effect here: the order emerald of the Forest. Immediately a large green gem appeared in front of me, shining very brightly. Immediately the Black Robe gang backed off in surprise, then charged me again, preparing fireball spells. I immediately remembered seeing something on 'TV' once... A large metal machine with blades on top... the blades spun around and around, faster and faster, until, slowly, the machine lifted off the ground. I quickly looked back at my two tails. _ If they can propel me forward, can I use them like a helicopter? Only one way to find out!_ I immediately positioned my tails to where they pointed upwards and spun them around as fast as possible...

I rocketed into the sky! Their fireballs hit each other and they spent a while regaining their senses. It was all the time I needed. I called out to the Emerald of the Forest for aid. Immediately it flashed and disapeared, leaving my staff glowing green. I dropped to the ground, going into combat mode. Immediately wind swirled around me with the force of a Lightning-Kintushian tornado, pinning down the Black Robe gang. " By Thunder, this kid has almost as much power as Fangor! These guys are in for it now!" They black robe gang members got up and raised their hands, preparing to use the power of the chaos emeralds. Their eyes turned blacker than the skin of a Dark Kintushian, only one thing left in them: Hatred. I swung my staff and a green crescent arced towards them, enveloping them in a green light. Everything went too blind to see for a moment, then returned to normal. When I could see again, all of the Black Robe gang members laid on the ground, comepletely drained of energy. My staff lost it's green glow and returned to being an amulet. Aleena's bonds and gag disapeared and she came running over to me. I was just about to fall, having spent most of my energy on my last attack, but caught myself. " My hero!" She said, hugging me. The audience and the medical team that had run down to send the Black Robe gang to the hospital ward began chanting: " Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!" She smiled, put one hand on my back and the other behind my head, bent me over one of her knees, and kissed me as she had on Christmas day. My mom was standing behind her, with my dad. Both of them looked very shocked with tears in their eyes. My mom was the first to speak. " Do you know what you just did?" My dad followed. " You just fought back... for the first time in your life!" They both ran over and hugged me, saying how they always knew that I would come through some day. I began to feel woozy and tired, as though I had just spent an entire day doing nothing except running at top speed. My eyes grew heavy, I smiled and let them close, falling forward and entering the realm of sleep, listnening to the faint cheers of " GREEN-LIGHT-NING! GREEN-LIGHT-NING!"

YAY! I finally finished this chapter! It's been less than a week since my last one, but hey! who cares! Be sure to tune in for the next chapter... It's gonna be good! Green Lightning has finally earned the respect of not only the four good kintushian races, but the rest of Knothole as well! Oh, and the reason why he fell asleep at the end is because the order emeralds take ALOT of energy out of you when you are done with them. I will leave you now with a quote from Fangor:

_It is not how you look that makes you who you are. The actions make the individual. Don't let others words discourage you. In the end, you are in comeplete control of the final choice._


	14. Guardian of the Forest Part 2: Chapter 7

Well, we left Green Lightning very battered after his battle, several Kintushians (393 to be exact)have already been sent to the gates of heaven to finish their 100-year waiting period so they can return to the land of the living. Green Lightning had his first date ruined by none other than the Black Robe gang (duh!) which is now recovering in prison on Fangor's home planet. Will they ever get out? And if so, will they seek revenge on Green Lightning? I feel kinda sorry for Green Lightning because his first date was ruined, and I feel sorry for Sonic becuase Amy tied him up in his sleep just so she could have a date with him (poor Sonic!). Well, anyways, on to the story! (when will they find Tails! They've been searching for more than 8 years already!)

**Chapter 7: The Invasion**

Character ages

Fangor: 16- February 18

Green Lightning: 6- February 18

Miles Tails' Prower: 23-January 30 (captured by Robotnik's new henchman)

Sally Acorn (called Aunt Sally' by Tails): 28-may 3

Sonic Hedgehog: 30-August 9

Amy Rose: 28-August 19

Rotor: 29-November 9

Bunny Rabbot: 30-January 8

Anthonie: 29-April 17

Shadow: 30-March 26

Knuckles: 30-June 9

Rouge: 29-June 17

Dr. Quack: 54-April 29

Aleena: 8- October 8

**February 18**

**Green Lightning's POV**

I woke up aching all over like I had just been thrown through several walls by a Kintushian. I screamed in pain as I tried to lift myself up to see where I was. Failing in this attempt, I turned to my head to the side, grimacing in pain as I did so. I recognized where I was. _ The hospital... How long have I been lying here? And why do I hurt so much?_ I heard the door open and some rapid footsteps as someone ran over to my bed. I turned my head so I could see, groaning in pain. It turned out to be a female lightning Kintushian nurse. " Glad to see you awake, master Tomias. Oops! Sorry, forgot your parents said you prefered Green Lightning." _Tomias? Since when did people call me Tomias? I've never heard of that name before..._ The nurse walked to the door with one stalkeye turned towards me. " Fangor? He is awake now and in excessive pain. I would suggest healing him immediately." Just then Aleena walked in, followed by Fangor, Mom, and Dad. Aleena immediately ran up to the bed and hugged me, nearly making me pass out from the pain. I screamed loud enough to shatter the nearby windows and make everyone jump back. My eyes were watering from the pain that still lingered in my chest area. Fangor came into view, a smile on his face. " You put up a good fight there. Your power nearly rivals that of my own, according to those I talked to on the way here. Well, let's get you fixed up, shall we?" He raised his hands and immediately sparkling blue lights surrounded me. All the pain in my body left me on the spot. I sat up quickly as though someone had sent a jolt of electricity through my back. I turned around and noticed the sheets were stained red. I looked towards Fangor, hoping for an answer. " You took a direct hit from 7 chaos spears... I'm surprised you survived. You didn't notice that gaping holes were in you while you were fighting in battle mode, which kept you from losing. When you passed out, you started spasming, screaming, and crying in pain, simply out of reflex rather than actually being connected with the world. We took you to the hospital wing as quickly as we could, but you lost alot of blood along the way. We were unable to replace it, so we had to sedate you for about a week so your body could recover it's own blood. I was finally able to close your wounds today, allowing the darkness contained within them from the chaos emeralds to drain out. By the way, Amy said that there was something urgent that she needed to see you about at your house. Head there after you rest up. You were put through a very traumatic experience, and deserve a good rest." Aleena started towards the bed, but was stopped by Fangor. " He needs to get to the house and rest. I suggest you stop by the mall for some things." He handed her a sheet of paper, apparently a shopping list. She tried hard to conceal her smirk, but it didn't work well. She left in a hurry, nearly running over Rouge and Knuckles as they entered. " Out." Fangor said as they entered. Both looked disapointed, but obeyed. Mom and Dad followed them. Fangor opened a moongate, then turned around to me, gesturing towards the moongate. " Your room awaits. Have a good sleep." I looked at my watch. 3:30 AM it read. I got up and fell out of the bed. I stood up again, pulled my staff out of it's amulet state, grabbed my cloak hanging next to the bed, and, using my staff for support, sleepily walked through the moongate.

**8 hours later...**

I slowly opened my eyes and sat up in my bed, feeling very refreshed. I stretched and yawned loudly, rattling the windows. I hopped out of bed and slipped my cloak on, heading downstairs to see what Amy had wanted. I was shocked at what greeted me. " SURPRISE!" everyone yelled when I turned around to go downstairs. I jumped back, hitting the wall. Aleena ran up the stairs, grabbed my hand, and gave me a quick kiss, saying " Happy birthday, Green Lightning, my hero!" I felt myself blush as she dragged me down the stairs. Someone slipped some sort of cone-shaped hat over my head and hugged me from behind. I turned around to see Mom, smiling. " Happy birthday son!" Fangor piped up with his own little remark, " I will take this time to remind you that you have not actually aged bec-" Amy slammed her hammer down where his foot had been a second before. " We're tired of hearing it! 9 years, 9 years straight you've told us! WE GET IT!" Amy returned her hammer to who-knows-where-she-gets-it-from, nearly hitting me in the head with it. Aleena, Amy, and Mom walked into the kitchen, telling everyone to sit down at the table in the dining room. Sonic was the first there, followed by Antonie, Fangor, then myself. Someone knocked at the front door, and I started to get up when someone put a hand on my shoulder. " Stay seated. I'll get it." Sonic said as he dashed to the front door. I heard it open, followed by some panting. " Sorry.. I'm... late... Sonic! I had... to do ... some last minute... shopping!" Came a raspy, out-of-breath voice that could only belong to Leadfoot. " You're right on time! Come on in!" This was followed by a crack of knuckles and then a voice that seemed on the verge of laughing. " Gonna forget us, faker?" Knuckles and Shadow. " Don't call me faker! I have a name!" Shadow appeared next to the table with Knuckles and Sonic following soon afterwards. Another knock at the door brought three new visitors. " Team Chaotix reporting for duty!" Came the voice of a crocodile named Vector from the door when Sonic answered it. " Relax, guys. It's just a birthday party. Nothing to worry about." Then a voice belonging to a hyperactive bee chimed in: " OOhh! Who's birthday is it? Who's birthday is it!" Then an overly calm chamelion named Espio piped up: " Calm down, Charmy. You're going to make everyone nervous." Soon everyone was seated, and Rouge, Amy, Sally, Bunny, Mom, Esna, Tikal, and Aleena came out of the kitchen, carrying an oversized cake with 6 candles stuck in it. Charmy began glancing at each face very rapidly to see who's birthday it was. " Who's birthday is it! Who's birthday is ittttt!" He said, desperately. After the cake was set on the table, my mom turned the bee around to face me. " HIM!" He said, surprised. Mom nodded, smiling. Then everyone except Fangor started singing: " Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Green Lightning! Happy Birthday to you!" I felt myself blush like I did every year when they did that. Charmy began buzzing around my head rapidly, practically shouting: "Happy birthday! Happy birthday!" Espio grabbed him and put him back in his chair. " Calm down before you hurt yourself." Charmy turned a bright shade of red. Mom walked around behind me and whispered in my ear: " Make a wish and blow out the candles, sweety." I thought about it for a moment, and decided on wishing for more new books ( I was already finished with the ones I had!) I breathed in big, and released it, not only extinguishing the flames on the candles, but also blowing them out of the cake. I hung my head, embarrassed. Everyone started clapping and Mom begain cutting the cake.

After eating Fangor hung something called a pinata from the rafters and held onto a rope that caused it to raise or lower depending on whether or not he pulled it. A blindfold was placed around my eyes from behind to keep me from seeing. _ This is too easy..._ I thought to myself. I was spun around for what seemed like 3 hours ( actually it was just 1) and I pulled out my staff, stumbling around while trying to keep my footing. " Let's see you hit it on your first try this year!" Shouted Sonic. I walked forwards, nearly fell over sideways, felt something hit me in the face, and brought my staff down on it as hard as I could. I could hear something break, then several people hit the floor, grabbing for the goodies that fell out. As for me, I just tried my best to stay standing and get out of being disoriented. Someone removed my bandana and I nearly puked as I saw the world spinning very fast. I was picked up and sat down in one of the e-z chairs in the living room so I could regain my senses. " Good hit, Green Lightning. I've yet to see you miss! You have the accuracy of a Kintushian haha!" Fangor said, congratulating me. " When will it stop spinning!" I said. " It should stop soon. Don't worry." Fangor walked off to keep the kids from killing each other in their rush for candy. A few minutes later I dozed off, only to be awoken by Aleena. " We're going on a picnic this afternoon, just the two of us. I've got it set up in a secret place where people rarely come! Get some rest, ok?" I nodded and headed up to my room to sleep.

After I woke up, I decided to ask my mom about what the nurse had called me at the hospital that morning. I ran down the stairs and into the living room. All of the kids were playing pin the tail on the donkey now, with Charmy attempting to attach the tail to Fangor's face. Fangor wasn't to ammused, but the others were laughing too hard to try to point him in the right direction. " It won't stick! Why won't it stick!" Charmy kept saying. I walked into the kitchen where my mom and dad were. " Oh! Hello, dear! Did you have a nice nap?" I nodded and jumped into one of the chairs next to them. Dad looked up from reading the newspaper and said, " You need something? You look like something is bothering you. Tell me who it is that is causing you problems! They'll rue the day they messed with-" Mom clapsed a hand over his mouth. " Calm down! You know that you could get arrested for that!" Mom turned back to me. " What's bothering you?" I sighed. " When I was lying on the hospital bed, the nurse called me 'Tomias'. Do you know why that is?" Mom put her elbow on the table and rested her head on her hand. " Sorry we never told you, son." "Told me what?" Fangor appeared from around the corner. " You are Tomias Dimitri, son of Alkinin and Flaura Dimitri, King and Queen of the mystics. Your nick name, which you were given at the age of 1, is 'Green Lightning' because when you run, you look like a green lightning bolt." Mom and Dad looked at him, shocked. " HOW did you learn this? We never told anyone his real name, other than our maids!" Mom said. Fangor shook his head in dismay. " I had a little chat with the 8 Kintushian Sages last night. He came up in it and they told me his true name, along with your names, which you also never told anyone in Knothole." They both turned a light shade of red and nodded, with my dad looking very angry. Mom saw this and wrinkled her forhead, worried. " Alkinin! Calm down!" Immediately he turned a shade darker red and calmed down. " Honestly, you shouldn't be embarassed by your names. All it does is make you hide it from others." " Honestly, I think Tomias is a cute name!" Came a familiar voice from the kitchen door. We all turned to see Aleena wearing a dress with the same design as Amy's, but it was blue instead of red, a red bow in her hair, white gloves with flowers on them, green/gold tie-die shoes, and carrying a package. " Hi Aleena!" I said waving as she ran up to me. She hugged me and said she was sorry about eavesdropping. My mom shrugged it off. " It's alright. I know you didn't have any bad intentions." Mom looked up at the clock above the stove. " By the emeralds! It's already 2:30 PM! Time to open your presents! I'll gather everyone in your room and call them in. " I shook my head. " I don't think it's big enough, mom." " Nonsense! Fangor said he got you the Deluxe Luxury Suit!" " Oh! I thought you meant my room here." She shook her head and headed into the living room. " Aleena, dear? Could you create a moongate to your Suit, please?" Aleena smiled. " I've learned a bit of magic in my spare time, training for 2 hours after class. The instructor said I'm almost ready to try casting the 'earthquake' spell!" I smiled. " That's great!" She stuck her head into the living room. " Just a minute! I've gotta give Tomias enough time to switch into his Tuxedo!" " Please call me Green Lightning." She nodded. " I understand. It's the only name you've known your entire life. Go get ready for our date. I'll meet you at the house."

2 hours laterI was off to my date after opening presents ( 6 thousand new books, a cell phone with unlimited minutes for life, a Kintushian-steel long sword, and Aleena said she was saving one of the presents for during our date.) _I wonder what it could be? She said it was very special to her._ I shrugged off the thought as we entered a clearing with a single tree at it's center and many flowers around it. They had three large petals about as big as my hand when spread out, grouped around the center that was about as big as my wrist. " Those are blood blossoms, Green Lightning! Fangor told me they only bloom when the blood of a hero is spilt. I wonder whose blood it was... and look at that tree! See all those white flowers that look like gems? This is a 'tree of the hero' according to Fangor. He said it only sprouts when a hero dies, and it sprouts just before he or she dies. I wonder who it was that died here?" I looked around and noticed that I recognized this place. _ These trees look quite familiar! Could this be the place I died in my previous life? I've lost my memory of it..._ She set down a blanket and put a picnic basket on it. " Listen! Isn't is so peaceful here? All of your worries, anger, fear, sorrow... they just melt away!" I nodded in agreement. She started setting out the picnic, being careful not to get her dress dirty. I looked in my temporal vortex and found a large table. _ Hmm... I knew I would need that at some point..._ I pulled it out and set it on the ground. " Good thinking! Do you have any chairs in that too?" I looked in the temporal vortex again and came out with two fancy chairs for us to use. " Wow, that really comes in handy! Who taught you how to do that?" I shrugged. " Fangor, before we began the semester." She smiled. " You're very lucky to have him as a friend!" I nodded. She finished setting out the food and we began eating. The fruit-based foods quickly vanished ( Pies, bananas, apples, oranges, grapes, etcetera) thanks mostly to me. Then we started on the main course, Peanut butter & jelly sandwhiches. " You know, I've been wondering why they call it peanut butter. It doesn't have any butter in it, so why call it peanut butter? Why not peanut spread?" I shrugged. I had my mouth full of the sandwhich and wasn't going to lose my manners to respond. I swallowed, leaving my mouth and throat sticky.

We finished our picnic and I put up the chairs and table. We walked over to the edge of the clearing, overlooking the ocean and sat down, hand-in-hand with Aleena resting her head on my shoulder. We watched the sun set, casting an orange glow over Emerald Ocean. The moon came up and ths stars came out. We stretched out on the grass with the tops of our heads touching each others'. " The moon sure is beautiful tonight, isn't it, Green Lightning?" " Yes, but it's getting late, isn't it?" She sighed, happily. " Oh! Almost forgot your present!" She stood up and pulled me to my feet. She came around in front of me with her arms behind her back. " Close your eyes, please." I closed my eyes, wondering why I needed to. A few seconds passed and I felt her put something around my neck. " There! You can open your eyes now." I opened them and saw she was now wearing a locket. She opened it and a picture of me sleeping was inside. I blushed, wondering how she had gotten a picture like that without me knowing. She pointed at my chest. I looked down and noticed she had slipped a locket around my neck as well. Inside was a picture of us, that night at the Christmas party. I smiled. " Thank you, Aleena." She smiled and hugged me for a second. She opened her picnic basket and began browsing around inside. " Are you thirsty? I brought along some sodas." I nodded. " Sodas will be fine. Thank you, Aleena." She handed me a bottle of something called '7UP'. It had some sort of green liquid inside. " These look different from the ones we had-" She put a finger to my lips, silencing me. " There is quite a variety of them. Each one tastes different from the others, but they all sort of burn your tongue. Mom said it isn't a good idea to drink too many of them because of the low nutritional value and the high caffine. One every now and then is okay, though, she says. Well, drink up. It's almost time for bed." I nodded and drained my drink. It tasted different than the last, but with the same burning sensation on my tongue. I began to get very drowsy all of a sudden. I stretched and yawned, nearly falling over. " You okay, Green Lightning?" I shook my head. " I feel as sleepy as the last time I drunk one of these..." I suddenly remembered what the doctor had told me: ' Cafine isn't good for you, I've heard. It stunts your growth, I think.' _ Apparently it just makes me incredibly sleepy._ " It's the cafine, Aleena. I think I'm alergic to it in that it makes me very-" I stopped to yawn, nearly falling forward. " Sleepy." I finished. She opened a moongate and picked me up. " Go to sleep, Tomias. Oops! I for-" I waved my hand dismissively. " It's alright. I'll let you call me by my given name." She kissed me on the cheek. " Thank you. Good night. I'll put you in your bed and take care of making sure the front door is locked. I'll also make sure to keep down your caffine intake." I nodded and drifted off to sleep.

**February 23**

I had gone through several tests in the past few days, all towards my training to become an Elite. I was in the midst of breakfast when there was a knock at the door. Aleena got up to answer it. " Hey, Aleena? Is Green Lightning here?" Leadfoot soon appeared next to the table, holding a newspaper. " Thought you should see this! You made the front page... twice!" He handed me the newspaper and I began reading.

**A Rival For Fangor?**

**The all-odds match that took place in the recent tournament featuring the Guardian of the Forest Versus the Black Robe gang has left many people believing that the Guardian could be a match for Fangor. Furthermore, it is believed that he could be one of the heros spoken of in the prophecy. This is believable because he was able to use one of the Order Emeralds in the fight. We attempted to interview him, but the doctors refused us access to the emergency recovery room. The Guardian goes by the name of Green Lightning and easily stands out because of his green and gold fur and the fact that he has two tails. This is Kaizen Nitur, reporter extroidanair, signing off.**

I shook my head in disbelief. " Read below it." Leadfoot said, pointing to the heading below the headline. I glanced down and was even more shocked.

A New Chess Champ For Knothole!

**As some of you may already know, Adiel Fintzgittigen, our local 4-year, chess champ, has been defeated by an up-and-running rookie that plays like a professional, Green Lightning. This was at most a week before the anual tournament which left Green Lightning bed-ridden. Only 6 years old, 1 foot eight inches tall, and weighing in at 10 Lbs, he is a heavyweight in the world of Chess. This is Kaizen Nitur, reporter extroidanair, signing off.**

I was nearly speechless. " I... I... I didn't know anyone cared..." Leadfoot smirked. " Now you've gotta avoid crazed fangirls and the media! Good luck!" he doubled over, laughing. Aleena looked at the date on it again. " You went to a Chess Tournament the day of our first date!" She looked angry. " I had to pass the time somehow. I couldn't have just sat around doing nothing." She calmed down. " Sorry about that. I didn't know." I shook my head. " It's alright. Everyone makes mistakes." She nodded. Just then Esna came in and dragged Leadfoot out the door saying: " You still need to pick up the junk in your room! I can't even walk through there without tripping over something!" She looked furious. Aleena giggled a little. " Poor Leadfoot. We knew you well." She stopped her giggling. She turned towards me, her face serious. " I heard from mom that there are going to be five other academies opening for the people of Knothole. According to the regulations book, it means a tournament will be held within ten years of the last academy's opening to decide which academy will remain. With the amount of academies opening, the best instructor and the four best students from each academy will be in the tournament in a five-way free-for-all." I nodded. _ Why should I be concerned?_ " I'm going for a walk. I'll be back later, Aleena. Think you can keep this place from becoming like the War Zone of the cafeteria?" She nodded, smiling. " Be careful!" I nodded, leaving.

I had been traveling through the forest for a while when I noticed the birds heading in the opposite direction from me. I stopped and heard footsteps following behind me. " Esna, Leadfoot, Aleena, there's no use hiding. I can hear you well enough to strike you in the dark." I heard a bit of giggling as they stopped beside me. Just then, a huge flock of birds began frantically heading in the opposite direction I had been walking. Not soon after I heard despairing voices crying out: " You are not welcome here!" " Leave here at once! We are pained by your presence!" " NOOOO! The forest is under seige! Guardian of the Forest! We need you!" I felt someone hit me in the back of the head. " OW! What was that for?" I turned around and saw Leadfoot with his staff out. " You sorta spaced out, man. You feeling okay?" I turned back where the birds had come from. " Did you hear some voices just now?" Leadfoot got a strange look on his face. " What voices? Are you goin' crazy or somethin'?" I frowned. I closed my eyes and concentrated my mind on feeling the prescenses of others the way Kintushians do. Immediately I doubled over, grabbing my sides in pain. " I have a bad feeling about those birds that flew overhead... I think we should turn back, Green Lightning." Said Esna, looking a little worried. " Something... evil approaches. Get Fangor. Get the academies. Evacuate the village into the underground, Leadfoot and Esna. Aleena? Evacuate the school." They all nodded. " Tomias! What will you do while we are gone?" Aleena asked with tears in her eyes. I turned a grim frown. " I will scout ahead to see what is coming. If I don't get back a communication to you within 30 minutes, prepare for battle." She nodded and they all sped off.

**Fangor's POV**

I walked into the headmaster's office, knowing what he was going to ask. _ Why did they have to set up new academies so soon? Do they have any idea what kind of problems this could cause?_ I sighed as I sat down in one of the large chairs designed to accomodate a Kintushian. " Fangor, I want you to go ahead and decide who will be going with you to the tournament when it occurs. You will need 4 students. Choose." I laid a sheet of paper on the desk in front of him listing 4 names and nothing else. " So... the best students in the academy are Aleena, Leadfoot, Esna, and... well I already knew that! Green Lightning!" He looked up. " You are cer-" I silenced him with a stern look. " I know what I am doing. They are the best we have, even though Leadfoot sleeps through all but the combat parts of his classes so he is failing History of the Sword." He nodded, smirking. Just then the door burst open, sending splinters all over the place. Standing where the door used to be, panting, was Aleena. " Fangor! Green Lightning needs you!" She paused to catch her breath. " He says it's urgent!" She turned and ran. I turned back to the headmaster. " That's coming out of your salary, you know. Dismissed." I turned and ran out of the building, following Green Lightning's presence to the edge of the forest. I saw the enemy slowly approaching, swords drawn, faces frought with anger, rage, happiness, and a burning desire to kill. Columns of white, light blue, black, and brown marched towards the forest. More than five hundred thousand, they outnumbered all that could fight 5 to 1. Green lightning was in a tree above, watching the approaching army, looking angry and with his staff at ready.

**Green Lightning's POV**

I had flown up into a tree to get a better look at what was coming, not only was I curious, but I was angered by their presence. The forest was in agony from their approach. _ It was the forest speaking earlier..._ I looked onward again and saw it would only be about an hour before they reached us. I heard the rustling of bushes behind me as the bulk of the Kintushian army that had come to Knothole showed up, along with most of the students from the school, including Aleena, Leadfoot, and Esna. I heard Fangor draw his sword, saying: " So, the invasion begins... I hope we're ready..."

**END OF CHAPTER**

Well, so ends another chapter. I wonder what will happen next? Will Knothole survive the approaching army? Or will they be slaughtered where they stand, along with their defenders? And where is Tails? Nobody has seen him for more than 9 years! What happened to him and where could he be? And what does Green Lightning's second amulet do? Some of these questions and more will be answered in the next chapter! Think positive thoughts, and have a nice day!


	15. Guardian of the Forest Part 2: Chapter 8

Hello! It's me, Gamerdude! It seems the Ice, Dark, Earth, and Water Kintushians have arrived earlier than Fangor planned. With the Freedom Fighters and Kintushian Special Forces outnumbered more than 5 to 1, all hope seems lost. Well, at least they'll go down fighting. And Tails is still nowhere to be found, Robotnik and the Ice Kintushian prince are still missing, and things are about to start heating up. Just to give you a heads up, some of the Kintushians that are with Knothole are not very nice to anyone, as you will see very soon. Let's hope our heroes can handle the situation and make it out of this war in one peice. Well, shall we continue?

**Chapter 8: Graduation and Pain**

**Fangor's POV**

" So, they think they can just stop here and take over without fighting the Kintushian army? Well, let's spoil their plans." Just then one of the army seargents walked up to the front lines where Green Lightning and I were standing. " You there! Yes, the furry green freak! I've heard from the other runts a lie stating that you are the Guardian of the Order Emeralds! I would suggest you stop this statement before I am forced to take drastic action!" I turned one of my stalkeyes towards the seargent and one down to Green Lightning. Green Lightning turned around to face the one that had insulted him and his integrity. " Sir, though you may be my elder, I would request that you mind your tongue. I am unable to lie-" " Prove it! Only mages are unable to lie. It takes a long time to learn the mystical arts that are capable of producing miracles and you look like you're barely out of diapers!" Green Lightning clenched his fist then relaxed it, muttering under his breath. He raised his hands in a quick motion and immediately several bolts of lightning came down from the sky and struck the ungrateful fool. He stood there, unscathed and angry. " Hmph! You may not have been lying, but I find it impossible for YOU to be the Guardian of the Order Emeralds! You are puny and weak! I suggest you either find your place or run on home to your mommy! Is that CLEAR!" Now it was my turn.

**Green Lightning's POV**

I had no idea it was like this in a Kintushian army... Then again, it could just be because I was different from him... or he was jealous... or maybe both... then again it could be something else. Anyway, after he had yelled at me and called me a liar, he found himself face-to-face with a very angry Fangor. He arched an eyebrow. " Yes, you insepid magot? Is there something you want? OUT WITH IT!" Fangor grabbed him by the throat and lifted him from the ground, ignoring the strikes from the individual's tailblade. He looked him straight in all four eyes and stated, in a calm, clear voice, " He is the Guardian of the Order Emeralds. Do not call him a freak. And do NOT insult a superrior officer. You will address him as General Tomias, not furry green freak. Is that clear?" The other Kintushian glared at him. " And just WHO do YOU think YOU ARE! Don't make me pull ranks private! Now get back in formation before I send you to the gates-" He was silenced by a glare. " I am Captain Fangor, 1st class private and 1st rank Sword Master of the 77th regiment of the 500 year war, Captain and 1st rank Sword Master of the 77th regiment of the War of Demise. I will not allow you to insult Green Lightning or any other member of this force any longer. IS THIS PERFECTLY CLEAR?" " If you're Fangor, prove it!" Fangor smirked. " Gladly." Fangor drew a sword from it's scabbard behind his back. It stretched out 50 feet when he extended it to full length. He then returned it to just a handle and a hilt. " Satisfied?" The seargent just glared at him. " The Emperor Blade, Thanatos! You are Fangor! Surely you would have-" Fangor silenced him with another glare, angrier than the last. " You arrogant fool! A Kintushian may be stronger in body, but they are not better Guardians than these people are able to be! Our ancesters, 25 years after they were created, sent these emeralds accross time and space to insure that our people would not abuse their power! Two years later, the Chaos Emeralds were created by our evil counterparts. Those were then stolen and sent as well to keep their power from being abused. I trust Tomias with the Order Emeralds more than I would trust even myself! Now, stand down!"

Fangor was seething with rage. He immediately calmed down after the seargent ran back to his group. Fangor turned to me. " Sorry you had to see that. Sometimes the only way to get them back in line is to send them to the gates of Heaven." I was very glad Fangor had stopped him. He turned around, and grinned. " Everyone! Initiate battle drive!" Immediately what seemed like wind colored wind (each wind associated with the color of the one it surrounded) erupted around every member of the army, lasting only a little, but their hair stayed blowing as though the wind remained. Fangor turned to me. " If things get desperate, use the order emeralds. You will know when they need to be used."

Just then the sky darkened and the air grew colder and colder... Snow came from out of nowhere and carpted the ground and the trees as fast as though it had flooded. Rocks formed instantaniously throughout the area. Water flowed then froze over as it passed through. I heard the sound of many swords being drawn at once from all sides of me. Just then the approaching army stopped and turned towards us. The same wind that had surrounded us surrounded them as well, with the same after-affect. Then, in a loud clear voice, three at the back, away from the rest of the army, spoke. " DESTROY THE INFIDELS! KILL ANYONE THAT IS ABLE TO FIGHT, AND ENSLAVE THE REST! GOD GAVE US THIS POWER SO WE MAY RULE OVER ALL OTHERS! LET US USE THAT POWER TO ELIMINATE THOSE WHO WOULD SEEK TO DO OTHERWISE! CHARGE!" Immediately their army charged forward at speeds of up to 120mph, silently but deadly. " Hold it steady... Wait... Wait... NOW!" Immediately our army charged forward in groups that had been assigned to us. I was with Aleena, Esna, and Leadfoot. Fangor was with the prince of each of the allied Kintushian forces. The battle was far from over...

**4 years later...**

**February 23**

After 4 years of battle, no rest, no food, no water, running on adrenaline alone... I was sent into town to get supplies for the troops. They needed food and water, adrenaline not being nearly enough to continue much longer. I practically dragged my feet into town, using my staff for support. I had run on nothing except adrenaline for the past 4 years, and needed food and water for the troops. Fangor had sent me saying, " Run into town and return with food and water for the troops. Adrenaline is not nearly enough to run on in a war, unless you are a Kintushian. Be sure to get some rest and eat something while you are there. I don't want your mom yelling at me when we return." I wandered through the deserted streets, looking at what all had been left behind. No laughing children, playing carefree and happy... No cars speeding around the roads... abandonded farms overgrown with weeds... houses with walls cracked and in disrepair... all... save one. I walked to the front door of my house, depressed from the war, and opened it, expecting to be greeted by my parents or an empty room. Instead what greeted me was a pink, sonic-crazed, hedgehog with a very worried look on her face. _ She must have seen me coming... I have to hurry up and get the supplies back to the troops._ I smiled weakly, not wanting her to be worried about me too much. I closed the door behind me and was immediately turned around and inspected like a mechanic would look at his automobile for flaws or defects to the chassis. Amy, the pink hedgehog, frowned as she looked at me. " Your clothes are torn all over! They're practically hanging on by threads! And you look like you haven't ate, drank, or slept in a while! WHAT have they been doing to you!" _Great... just like my mom. Worried about me all the time, no matter how far away from home I am..._ " I'll be alright Amy. Where are Mom and Dad?" She reached into a pocket on her dress and pulled out an envelope. She handed this to me and left to my bedroom for some reason. I opened the envelope and read the letter contained within.

**Dear Tomias,**

**We are pleased to inform you that we are now among the great mage council. We are not pleased to inform you that because of this we will not be at home often. We have left you in the care of Amy Rose. Please don't push yourself too hard. We are very worried about you now that you have entered the war. Eat right, drink plenty of water, and get proper rest. I have to go now. Wherever you are, we love you, son.**

**With Love,**

**Mom**

I put the letter back in the envelope and put it in my temporal vortex. Just then Amy came down from my room. " You're bed is ready for you. Your mom made sure to make some extra shirts and pants in case yours were cut to ribbons in battle. I'll be sure to send the ones you are wearing to her so she can repair them." I shook my head. " I have to get the supplies back to the troops! They'll starve to death, otherwise!" She smiled and nodded. " Go get changed." I ran up to my room and slipped on another shirt and pants exactly like what I was wearing, except in full repair. I came down and handed her my 'rags'. She put them on the living room table, then went into the kitchen and called me a few seconds later. I walked in and sat at the table. She put a bowl of oatmeal in front of me and slid a glass of orange juice in front of me. " At least eat properly, or you'll starve too!" I gave in. Arguing with Amy was like talking to a brick wall, or at least Sonic says so. First I devoured the oatmeal, and all my hunger melted away. Then I proceeded to the drink. Something didn't seem right, but I was too thirsty to care. I drained the glass and put it down on the table. Immediately after standing up I fell to the ground, excessively drowsy. I tried to stand, but it was no use. " Why am I so tired all of a sudden?" Amy held up a bottle of brown grains. I read the label, which was printed in big, black letters. " CAFFINE-WARNING! NOT FOR THOSE WHO ARE CURRENTLY HYPER OR USING SOME OTHER FORM OF A STIMULANT!" " I added it to your orange juice. Now you have no choice but to rest. I'll put you into bed. Good night." I tried to fend her off... tried to get away. It was no use. Every muscle in my body called out for rest. The last thing I hear from her was, " I'll have the supplies ready by the time you wake up. Rest well." Then I drifted off to sleep.

**March 23**

I woke up and felt around for my staff. Not finding it, I felt around my neck for the amulet it was contained on. _Still there..._ I opened my eyes and noticed I was in my room. _How long have I been asleep? _I shook my head. _ I have to get back to the troops!_ I jumped out of bed and ran out the door, shutting it behind me. Amy greeted me in the living room. " Glad to see you awake. Did you sleep well?" I nodded. " Where are the supplies, Amy? I need to-" She silenced me with a wave of her hand. " I had Sonic take care of it." She grabbed me by the arm as I started for the door and dragged me into the kitchen. " You are not leaving without a proper meal! You've been asleep for a month now!" " A month! Why didn't you-" She shook her head. " Fangor requested that I let you sleep until you woke up on your own." She went over to the stove and opened it. She reached in and grabbed a pan out of it, being careful not to drop it. She sat it on the counter and closed the oven, turning it off as well. She grabbed a bottle of orange liquid out of the refridgerator and poured some in a glass which she sat on the table in front of me. She then grabbed a bottle of brown liquid from inside one of the cabinets next to the stove and took something from the pan and set it on the plate. She began pouring the brown liquid on the plate, being careful not to let it get on the counter. She walked to the sink and turned on the faucet, running her hands under it while rubbing something. She brought her hands up and I saw she was holding a fork. She walked back over to the plate and set the fork on it. " Have you had pancakes before?" I shook my head as she brought the plate to the table. " Try it and tell me what you think." What was on the plate, the supposed 'pancake', was a golden brown disk covered in a thick, brownish, sticky liquid. I grabbed the fork on the plate and began to cut into it. Once I had cut off a reasonably small piece of it, I stuffed it in my mouth and began chewing. It tasted good, but was a little sticky. " Taste good?" Amy asked. I nodded and proceeded to finish. Amy walked back over to the pan and began putting more on another plate, which she then covered with more of the strange liquid. the stack stood about 2 feet tall, I think. After I had finished the pancake I was eating, she shoved my plate aside and replaced it with the other one. I looked up at her confused. " A soldier needs his strength. You are not leaving this table till you finish these." I raised an eyebrow. " None of that. Now, eat." With that she left the room. I turned back to the stack of food that was taller than I was. _I've got to hurry..._ I quickly began eating the pancakes, being sure to mind my manners as I did so. I then drank my orange juice and proceeded towards the sink with the plates, fork, and glass. They were abrubply taken from me by a metalic hand and an opposing furry one. " I'll take those, sugah. You run along back to the front lines. I'll see you when you get back, okay?" I nodded and ran out of the house all the way back to the edge of the forest.

Stretching as far as I could see were corpses of the dead that were not buried and warriors engaged in combat. The ground was drenched with the blood of the fallen, mixed in such a way that it gave off a sickening gray glow. The sky itself was still blacker than night, blacker than shadows themselves. The ground was still covered in snow, and the scent of death hung in the air. I was grabbed from the side and turned around. " About time you got back! This war's been dragging on! Now get out there and start killing!" The lightning Kintushian that had grabbed me turned to leave. " Where is Fangor?" He stopped abruptly and turned a stalkeye towards me. " How should I know? He disapeared a week ago along with the three princes of the opposing forces. Now get back to the fighting!" He turned and ran off. Suddenly everything stopped... the snow... the sound of combat... the swaying of the trees... everything... except me. I turned around and saw the eight sages of the Order Emeralds standing there. The lightning one, seemingly female, came forward and kneeled to where she was eye-level with me. " The one that commands the wind... the one that is one with the earth... the one that controls the darkness... the one that walks on water... they are on the land in the sky... the air is in pain... the earth, darkness, and water laugh as they prepare their sacrifice for Lucifer... you must hurry, Guardian. Your friend may not be able to die, but he cannot defend himself against the power of Chaos without the Order." With that they disapeared and the fighting resumed. _ Not only are they wise, but they talk in riddles as well... _ I proceeded to interpret her words. _Fangor and the 3 evil princes are on an island in the sky... Fangor is trapped by the power of the chaos emeralds..._ I pulled out the three order emeralds I thought I would need for the task. _ Lightning evaporates water as water shorts lightning... I will need the Lightning Order Emerald... The forest conquers the earth, but is burried by the moutain... I need the Forest Order Emerald... as for the last one... Darkenss hides the light, light peirces the darkness... I need the Light Order Emerald._ I grabbed the three emeralds I needed and fused them into my staff for the time being. I then flew straight up over the battlefield and into the clouds.

After about 3 hours of flying I spotted an island in the sky, but it wasn't Angel Island. I increased my velocity and shot over the top of it, comepletely unnoticed by the three chanting figures and the one on the ground, in pain, with a black aura surrounding him. " Lucifer! Accept our sacrifice of one of God's warriors so we may have thine favor!" They chanted, over and over again. I pulled out my staff and spun it around, causing it to glow green, dark blue, and light yellow. I then reared back with my staff and swung it at them, shouting " Order Spear!" Immediately the Chaos Emeralds dissapeared and the three creatures staggared back in pain, a shaft of a different color sticking out of each of them. As Fangor got up, I unfused my staff. Fangor wasted no time in rushing in to attack them. He drew the Emperor blade as they drew theirs. He shouted, in a loud, angry voice, " CURSEBREAKER!" He swung his sword from right to left, cleaving each of them through the heart. Immediately their swords disapeared, but their bodies remained. Forever cut in half. I heard screams filled with terror from below and saw many ships dropping towards the ground. " So, they choose to retreat now... Even the Ice Kintushians are leaving..." He turned towards me and saluted in Kintushian fashion. " Congratulations, Captain Tomias. You have won the war." A lightning Kintushian appeared from over the rim of the island and landed nearby. It appeared to be the same one that had insulted my integrity 4 years earlier. He looked over the area and glared down at me with his right hand on the hilt of his Kintushian-tin Scimitar, looking very angry and on the verge of murder. " Captain! But-" He cut me off with a wave of his hand. " If you had not shown up when you did, Knothole and all of Mobius would have perished within a few weeks. Our casualties were nearly 95 of the army, including freedom fighters and those from the schools. We will have to errect a monument in honor of the fallen." " How many?" He looked down, thinking. " 3,982,531,218 Kintushian and 982,123 non-Kintushian." " What of Esna, Leadfoot, and Aleena?" He shook his head, indifferently. " According to my statistics officer, Esna and Leadfoot both died a week before I came up here. Aleena suffered a massive head wound early after you left. She has yet to make a full recovery. The doctors don't know what is wrong with her." I fought back tears, but it wasn't any good. They just kept coming. I fell to my knees sobbing in my hands. " I... I... I should have been there! I-" " You what! You think you could have stopped them from being killed! Now is not-" Immediately I heard a sword being drawn and put through Kintushian skin with a sickening hiss as blood rushed out of the wound. I didn't care. Two of my friends were supposedly dead and one was in the hospital. All I wanted to do was cry. I mourned over the loss of others, unlike most Kintushians that went through war. " Let that be a lesson to you, Sygon. May Heaven have mercy on you when your time comes." I heard the thud of a body hit the ground, panting in pain as his body repaired itself. " Mark my words, Fangor! Your father will hear about this!" Fangor laughed a bit. " He will also hear about how you attempted to kill the Guardian of the Order Emeralds for showing remorse for the loss of his friends." " He is weak! Crying just because someone dies! Ha! Ha! Ha! The sages must be very stupid to have trusted the Guardianship to such weak creatures like him!" Immediately I heard him gasping for air. " Showing remorse for a loss is a sign of strength! Not weakness! Know this as you recieve your passing!" Immediately I felt a sharp pain on my forehead, and that's the last I remembered as I fell forward into the dark abyss of unconsciousness.

**May 9**

I slowly opened my eyes, blinking a little to adjust to the light. The pain in my head was gone, replaced by a dull numbness. I felt up to where it had been. _ Bandages... Where am I?_ I looked around and saw that I was in the hospital wing of the academy. White walls everywhere, with huge doors and windows to accomodate the taller Kintushians that passed through the doors, occasionally. Hanging on the wall opposite the bed was a plaque that read: " Sometimes the best cure for an ailment is time itself." - Alakor

I looked to my right and saw my clothes lying in a pile in the corner and a dressing screen next to them. I looked to my left and saw some computer monitors stating readings such as : Emotion, Power, Energy, Pulse, Health, and Awareness. Right now all looked to be green except emotion, which was gray. What the colors meant, I don't know. Lying in a bed on the other side of the monitors was Aleena, bandages on her head and one arm. Between us, sleeping in a chair, was Amy Rose. I turned over and stared at the ceiling. _How long has it been since that attack? What has happened in that time?_ I sighed. _ No use thinking about it right now._ I folded back the covers and noticed I was wearing a hospital gown, or whatever they call them. I hopped out of the bed and walked over to the dressing screen. I pulled it to where I could get dressed in privacy. _ Good thing I got ahead in 'History of the Sword', otherwise I would be well behind by now, I think. Garenwald is a stickler for schedules._ After I finished getting dressed, I turned and opened the screen to find Amy looking down at me. She smiled. " How are you feeling? Head still hurt?" I shook my head. " It is just a dull numbness now. Not something to worry about." She nodded. " How's Aleena? I heard from Fangor that she took a blow early after I left and hasn't recovered since." Amy frowned and shook her head. " The doctors can't seem to find what is wrong with her. She's as healthy as can be, her wounds have healed, but she won't wake up. They're afraid something may be wrong with her. They also say she keeps mumbling your name in her sleep." I frowned. _ I should have been there for her..._ I shook my head. " I'm going to talk to Fangor about it. Maybe he can figure something out." She nodded. " I'll keep an eye on her." I headed for the door.

Just as I was about to leave, I heard some voices behind me. I turned around to see everything frozen in time, except the eight figures standing before me. " Do you not know the cure for this, young one? Can you think of nothing?" I stared blankly at them. " What do you expect me to know about this sort of thing? I'm not a doctor." The green one stepped forward, shaking his head and smiling. " Do you not know? Sometimes the best cure for an ailment without a cure, is love. Has no one ever told you that?" I shook my head. " I don't understand your meaning." He simply smiled and replied: " Someone will." With that time resumed, proceeding as normal. I stared blankly for a few seconds before someone's voice snapped me to attention. " Green Lightning? Are you okay? You look kinda spaced out. Maybe you should lie down?" I responded, seemingly still in a daze, " They said sometimes the best cure for an ailment without a cure is love... what could that mean?" I was lost in my thoughts when someone snapped their fingers. " I've got it! Snow White!" I shook out of my daze and stared at Amy. " What do you mean, 'Snow White'?" She smiled. " You've never heard of it? Snow White went into a state like this and the only cure was the kiss of true love! If that won't work, I don't know what will!" I shook my head. " I think Sonic may be right about you reading too many romance books." She shook her head. " Grown men... ugh. Just try it, alright? If it doesn't work, we can ask Fangor for his advice." I cocked my head to the side in confusion. " Try what?" She sighed. " Kiss her, silly! It could work!" I shrugged my shoulders. " I guess it's worth a try."

I walked up to her bed, just as the rest of my friends walked into the room and leaned against the wall. Shadow brought out a video camera, guessing what I was about to do. I started getting a little nervous. _Relax... It's just a kiss... It's not like it's a major exam or anything..._ I shook my head as I approached. I stood beside the bed, which was simply a matress on the floor, like mine. I looked down upon her still image, that seemed so full of life yet empty of it all at once. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. _ Why am I getting so nervous?_ I shook my head again. _ Okay, here goes everything..._ I leaned forward, putting my head above hers. " I love you, Aleena. Please come back to us." I leaned in close, our lips met, and I felt life rushing into her as power had rushed into me when I used the Order Emeralds. I stopped and stood up. I looked down at her and for a few seconds nothing seemed to happen. Then her eyes slowly opened, and she blinked to let her eyes adjust to the brightness of the room. She suddenly shot up, looking quite scared and anxious all at once. " Where am I! Where is Tomias!" She turned her head in my direction, then smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. " Tomias! You're okay! I'm so happy!" I smiled. " Glad to have you back, Aleena." Aleena got a puzzled look on her face. " How long was I out?" Amy looked at the calendar on the wall. " About 3 months. You were awful when we brought you in. Words could not describe the condition your arm was in, and you couldn't be healed by magic because you were not conscious at the time." Aleena shook her head. " It's alright. I know they did their best." She looked around. " Where are Esna and Leadfoot?" A sudden knock at the door caused everyone's heads to turn.

Amy went to open it, but was stopped by Fangor. " Let me handle it." I heard him mutter 'bloody media...' under his breath as he approached the door. He opened it and looked down. He smiled brightly. " Well, there's two faces I thought I would never see again! Come on in!" In stepped two people I had thought to be dead, Esna, and Leadfoot. Aleena smiled broadly and waved at them. Fangor's look turned from one of happiness to one of excessive rage. " Excuse me, but I have a statistics officer to dispatch." He drew his sword and started to head out the door. " Fangor! No. There is not a need to kill him because of a mistaken identity! Please refrain from this action!" Fangor shook his head. " I am bound by my duties to perform this action. It is Kintushian military law that a false report is met by either death-" Sally glared at him. " I order you not to take this action, Fangor!" Fangor turned to her, nodded, and returned his sword to it's scabbard, saluting in Kintushian fashion. " If you command it, so be it, Princess." Sally stopped her glare and turned back to me. " We will leave you four alone now. You have the day to yourselves. Take this time to catch up with each other." Fangor turned to us. " Oh, by the way? The semesters you missed while at war you passed because you were doing a service to Knothole. All four of you are now in your master semester, so I suggest-" At this one of his stalk eyes seemed to be favoring Leadfoot. "- you study VERY hard for your final exam. And I don't mean study as in reading textbooks-" The stalkeye was on me this time. "- I mean it as in watch your instructors combat tactics. Learn every bit about them that you can, because the final exam consists of you going, one-one-one, with your instructor. Finals are in 2 weeks. Semi-finals however, are next week. See you there." With that he opened a moongate and stepped through, leaving us standing there, either terrified ( In Leadfoot's case), slightly ill-at-ease ( In my case) or smirking as though they knew something the others didn't. I eyed Esna and Aleena, both of which were giggling and whispering to each other. They noticed and smirked while turning to me. " Our instructors are going to be easy to deal with! You two, however, are going to have a hard time. Leadfoot hasn't been paying much attention during the combat sessions-" " You expect me to care when he's incredibly slow and-" " He wasn't attacking at full potential. This year, they are not allowed to hold back. You have it easy compared with Green Lightning. He has to face Fangor... From what the kids at the academy have been saying, he's powerful enough to destroy a planet with a single punch if he wanted to... and he's twice as fast as the speed of light itself... You're going to have to come up with some incredible tactics to fight him. I also heard he took on EVERY student in the academy he came from for his final exam and beat them all without any trouble. Good luck on your final. And Leadfoot? For crying out loud, study for this, or you could wind up in the hospital in more than just a few peices." I looked at Aleena. " Your going to have to be careful as well. You have 2 finals. Magic and combat. Magic is going to be sorely difficult, seeing as how you will be facing my father. Then, about 2 hours later, you will be facing your instructor in one-on-one combat. I'm not sure if you can handle all that, but you have my support." She looked shocked. " There is a final exam for magic as well! Oh, great... Just great..." Leadfoot smirked. " Too bad the war couldn't have dragged on for another year, eh?" Esna looked at him and smirked as well. " You can't just 'pass' the master year. The finals are MANDATORY. So, tough luck." Aleena looked down and noticed she was still wearing a hospital gown. " Could the three of you please step outside so I can get changed?" We nodded and headed for the door.

A few hours later, we were in the academy cafeteria. " Explain to me again why we are here?" I asked as we made our way through a sea of 'ammunition' to the only table not covered in food. " Well, we kinda... blew up your kitchen." Leadfoot said, only to get a smack to the back of the head by Esna's staff. " You mean YOU blew up their kitchen! Don't try to throw it off on me!" Leadfoot appologized while rubbing his head where the staff had struck. We made it to the table without getting hit by a single pie, although one came quite close to taking Leadfoot's head with it as it sailed into the face of a fire Kintushian, who responded by catching fire and throwing a volley of cream pies, cupcakes, soups, sandwhiches... anything that wasn't nailed down... and that included those unfortunate enough to be sitting with him at the time. After sitting down we started discussing what we had planned for the day. Esna had decided to go with Aleena to the mall to go shopping for something secret, most likely clothes, and Leadfoot decided he was going to go to the arcade... until he nearly got another taste of Esna's staff. He changed his mind and decided to observe his instructor so he could at least pass his final... if nothing else. ( He had been failing his semester of his freshman year, all classes.) As for me, I decided to leave my options open and just wander around for a while. Although Esna and Aleena invited me to come along with them, I declined. I didn't share their obsession with going from store to store searching for something to spend money on. Sure we had been well payed by the military ( 5 omniversal credits per year of service from the moment we entered the war and continuing on until we become discharged from their services. 1 universal credit translates to 1 million in any currency, no matter where it is.), but that didn't mean we had to spend it all in 1 day.

Soon after our conversation died down, I heard someone say, " Move, freak!" Just before being shoved out of the seat I had been using. This was soon followed by the same person addressing one of the other occupants of the table. " Hello there, good-looking! How's about you and I find someplace where we can-" This was followed up by three staves cracking against a single skull and a groan of pain. I stood up and saw that Aleena was furious while Leadfoot and Esna looked scared stiff while holding broken staves in their hands. Aleena hoisted him up by his shirt and held her staff to his throat. " Apologize to my boyfriend, or I'll do more than just knock you to the floor!" He smirked. " Why have that freakish trash when you could-" This was followed by another whack from her staff. " I don't want to be anywhere with you! Now apologize to him or-" He cut her off with a kiss to her lips. Her fists clenched far too hard for the staff to handle, and it broke under the pressure. He was immediately hoisted off of her eight feet into the air by none other than a very angry Fangor. " The lady-" He raised him above his head, preparing to throw him. " Said-" He cocked his arm back, setting up for a long throw. " NO!" He lurched his arm forward and released, sending a ball of fur to impact the wall more than 300 miles away in less than a second. He crumpled to the floor, unconscious. Fangor calmed down quickly and left the cafeteria and it's never-ending war of food. Aleena stopped her fit of rage and walked over to me. " Are you alright, Tomias?" I nodded. " I can handle a little fall like that. Not something to worry about." I felt a poke in the ribs from behind. I turned around to come face to face with about 10 lightning Kintushians all staring at me and smirking.

The one that seemed to be the leader stepped forward, came right up to me and stared down on me like he was superrior. " What's the matter, wimpy little freak? Have to have your girlfriend fight your battles for you?" Aleena stepped between us in a defensive manner. " Leave him alone! He's done nothing to you!" The leader threw her aside, saying: " He HAS done something. He made it look as though he saved Fangor. We want to expose him for the freakish weak little fraud he is. We are going to publicly humiliate him this afternoon in a 10 on 1 match in the main arena. Don't forget to bring your mommy so she can treat your wounds after you get beat up, freak." Immediately his tailblade arced over my head, flat side in a sweeping motion from my left to my right, immediately followed by screams of pain as two figures flew to the right from the attack. " Not even your friends can help you... I'll be sure to attend your funeral... freak." With that, they turned around and walked off, laughing and making comments about myself and my friends. I shook my head in dismay. " Why does everyone around here want to fight so much? I don't understand..." A moongate opened behind me as someone was leaving. I heard Fangor, somewhat merrily, say: " It's what Kintushians live for now. We live to fight so we can become more skilled, and we become more skilled so we can better defend others. It's our way of life now... mostly. That group, however, is just jealous and are looking for a fight because of it. I'll go get the match arranged and make sure everyone attends." I turned around to see him leaving, smiling at me. " It shouldn't be much of a challenge, but, good luck." The moongate disappeared as he stepped through. _A challenge! For crying out loud, I'm going to be facing 10 8-foot tall KINTUSHIANS! They are born to fight! How am I going to be able to hold my own against them..._ I felt someone place their hand on my shoulder. " It's alright, Tomias. Just call off the match. It'll be- be- be- Augh! Why can't I say it!" I shook my head. " Mages are not able to lie. It won't be okay if I call off the match, because matches cannot be called off under any circumstances, Aleena." I opened a moongate and proceeded to head to the arena to get the match over with. Esna and Leadfoot followed. Aleena grabbed my hand and stepped through with me, sobbing lightly. Esna and Leadfoot headed for the stands with a solemn silence while Aleena went with me towards the arena floor. Just outside the battlefield, we stopped. I turned to her, frowning. " This is as far as you can accompany me, Aleena. From here, I am on my own." She wrapped her arms around me while dropping to her knees. She rested her head on my shoulder while still sobbing. I returned the embrace while stroking her hair gently. " I'll be alright Aleena. I have a feeling that I will come out of this unscathed. Please don't worry about me." The sobbing slowed to a halt, but the embrace remained as though she wanted to burn me into her memory. " Promise me... that you'll come back... won't you?" " I promise, Aleena. I will return to you." She let go, kissed me on the cheek, then walked off to join the others in the stands. I turned back towards the battlefield, staff at ready.

As I entered about half the stands were booing while the rest were either cheering or silent. The announcer came on the loudspeakers, announcing my entrance very excited, quite possibly becuase there was about to be a fight. " Making his way into the arena, standing at an amazing 1 foot 8 inches and weighing in at 10 lbs... let's give it up for... GREEEEN LIGHT-NIIING!" The cheering and booing got drastically louder. Then 10 moongates opened at the other end of the arena as I made my way into the center. " And making their way into the arena, all standing at 8 feet tall and weighinging in at 380 lbs each... let's hear it for... THE DOOMSDAY SQUUUAAAAD!" The cheers and boos had reversed and amplified themselves. " Now let's have some silence so the 10-1, all odds match may begin! I said silence!" The crowd continued, despite the announcer's request. Suddenly, from the right side of the arena a single moongate appeared, revealing an 8 foot tall Kintushian looking annoyed. Fangor raised his arms above his head and yelled: " SIIIIILEENCCCCEE! Show some respect for the warriors as they are about to commence battle!" The entire arena immediately went as silent as my room when I'm in the middle of reading something that I am quite interested in. Not even a whisper was heard. The announcer cut back in. " Thank you, Fangor! Now, commence combat!" We wasted little time shifting into battle drive, which enhanced our reflexes and reaction time, but nothing else was affected by it. They all charged me using a line of interlocked arms with tailblades poised for attack. I knew I wouldn't be able to dodge them, so I was going to have to stop their attacks... all 10 at once. I knew just what to do. I pulled out the water Order Emerald from my pack and raised it above my head, yelling: " I CALL FORTH LAVIATHAN, THE SAGE OF THE WATER ORDER EMERALD TO AID ME IN THIS BATTLE WITH A WATER KINTUSHIAN TIDAL WAVE!" Immediately a large dragon appeared in front of me and the entire crowd gasped in awe, amazement, and fear, to each his or her own. The entire line kept proceeding... fearless... emotionless... the perfect warriors. The dragon reared it's head back, inhaling deeply. It put it's head to the ground and breathed out very harshly, causing a 5,000 foot high and 3,000 foot thick wall of water to form between it and the quickly approaching enemy that were now within 10,000 feet of me and closing the gap quickly. The wall of water suddenly came tumbling towards them with a force beyond their reckoning. After the wall had curled in the fashion of a tidal wave, it slapped itself down on them, flooding the entire area in front of the dragon with water. about 10 seconds after the impact the water and the dragon disapeared without a trace other than the 10 unconcsious Kintushians now lying in the middle of the arena, their faces still fearless and emotionless. They had stopped 4,000 feet from me, almost to the wall of water. I dropped to my knees, feeling greatly drained. The anouncer came back on, very jubilant. " And victory goes to... GREEN LIGHTNING! Congratulations!" Almost the entire crowd was cheering now. A moongate opened next to me and out stepped my mom, dad, Aleena, Esna, and Leadfoot. Aleena ran up and hugged me tight. I returned the hug, although weakly as I had put forth most of my energy into summoning Laviathan. " You did it Tomias! I feel so happy!" We let go of each other. Fangor knelt down next to me and shook my hand. " You did quite well, but I suggest you summon the sages sparingly. That took most of the energy you had, so I would suggest you take it easy for a while. Remember, finals are in 2 weeks. Study hard." I nodded weakly. I was exhausted as though I had been running around at top speed for the past few hours. I felt something moving through my fur as someone was muttering about how much of a mess I looked like. It was obvioulsy Amy Rose, obsessing over how I looked in public again like my mom would. " You did great, son! We are both proud of you! We are sorry we can't stay much longer, however. We have business as the heads of the council of mages. The creatures of darkness that Robotnik used more than 1,000 years ago have been resurfacing all over Mobius. It is part of our duty to make sure they do not harm the citizens of Mobius. We love you son, and will support you in all your decisions. Farewell!" With that my mom opened a moongate behind them and they left, waving as the moongate closed itself.

**May 16**

The day of the semi-finals... I had been informed by several people, unreliable people at that, that it would be the most horrifying experience I would ever face. The only thing more difficult, most of the time, turned out to be the finals, according to them. No one was allowed to hint at what it would be, however. It was for the person undergoing the test to find out. I was in the testing chamber, about to undergo temporary stasis transfer to begin the test. " Green Lightning, we are going to need you to relax so we can do this without injuring you. Remember that whatever happens in there happens out here. Good luck, and may God be with you." I nodded and laid down on the table in the center of the room. I let them put the helmet mechanism on me while I relaxed as best as I could. " Undergoing stasis in 3... 2... 1... Engage." The world suddenly went black, then blacker still, yet I seemed conscious. I listened with my ears intently, awaiting further instruction. " Green Lightning, stand." Came a firm, authorative voice from somewhere in the darkness. I stood, eager to get it over with. " Turn around." Came a second command. I turned comepletely around and came face-to-face with what seemed to be a mirror. It took on a firm look, indicating it was not a mirror, but a copy of myself. " Your test begins now. You must answer one question that I ask you. You will not leave here until you have answered it. Are you prepared?" I nodded my head. " What is the answer to the question of the universe, life, souls, and time? You have until you die to answer this." _Until I DIE! I wonder how many have actually passed this... Is it even a question?_ " What is the qyestion?" I asked. He smirked. " That is the question. Are you prepared to answer?" _To give an answer to a question that isn't really a question because a qeustion wasn't really asked..._ I smirked. This was easy. " The answer is that there is not an answer because a real question was not asked." His mouth gaped open, then quickly closed. He returned to a look of calm seriousness. " Congratulations, Green Lightning. You have passed the test. Further, you have set a new record for those who have passed. You may return now." With that, the image and the darkness disapeared, replaced by the eerie blue glow of the stasis chamber. Whisperings could be heard from my position as a door to the chamber opened. " Congratulations, Green Lightning. You have passed faster than anyone that ever took the test. When Fangor took the test, it took him about 5 hours to answer the question. He nearly tried to kill his image out of frustration." _Now all that is left is to defeat Fangor in the upcoming fight... An even greater challenge than this. I've seen how fast he moves and reacts, so attacking him head-on is out of the question. I'm going to have to find a different way to defeat him._ Suddenly I remembered one of the videos I had seen showing him throwing himself in front of a sword to stop it from reaching another like myself, only his fur color was different from mine. Orange and white instead of green and gold. An idea came to me just then. _Maybe if I create an image of him during the fight, Fangor will stop his attack long enough for me to disable him... It's better than nothing, I suppose._ I ran out of there, heading for my room so I could practice a displaced 'incognito' spell variation I had been working on that would create an image of something where you stand. I was going to have to greatly focus if I was to perfect this. I only had a week to comeplete it in, and I had to get it down to taking less than a second to be active and get away from it. First I had to work on the image quality, then the speed of producing it, then the speed of getting away from it. _ This is going to take a while..._ I thought as I worked on it.

**May 23**

I woke up from dozing off after perfecting the spell. It had taken 5 days, but it would be worth it if it worked. I glanced over at the calendar and noticed that I had slept through yesterday entirely. " Great... Now all I have to do is pass this test and I can get some more sleep..." I muttered under my breath. I felt a hand on my shoulder and sat straight up, surprised incredibly. I turned around and saw Aleena sitting in a chair, smiling while trying not to laugh. " Why are you in here? Do you need something?" She shook her head. " You just look so cute when you're asleep! I had to take a picture!" I could feel myself blushing slightly accompanied by Aleena giggling. " Good luck in your match today. I'll be cheering for you!" I smiled and nodded. I looked over at the clock on my oak nightstand beside my bed. 10:30 AM it read. _4 and one-half hours until the match... I need to get something to eat so I'll have enough energy for it._ Aleena grabbed my hand. " Come on! Breakfast is ready downstairs!" With that she ran to the kitchen dragging me like an oversized rag doll. We passed Shadow and Aleena smirked as he commented on the view. " For gosh sakes, don't you think he can walk on his own?" This was followed by him doubling over, laughing uncontrollably. She dragged me all the way to the kitchen and sat me down in a chair while she went to get the table set. I looked around and saw everyone was there except Fangor. " Where is Fangor, Amy?" Amy shook her head. " He's at the arena waiting for the match to start. Rather impatiently I might add." _I sure hope my strategy works..._ A bowl of oatmeal was set in front of me along with a glass of orange juice. " Hurry up, Tomias. You'll need the energy for the match. The sooner you get there, the sooner the match can begin." I nodded and proceeded with breakfast. It seemed as though the food had been enriched by something, because I felt much more energetic than normal. I felt like I could run for years without running out of energy. " What did you put in this!" Aleena glanced over at Amy. Amy drooped her head down. " I accidentally short-cuircuted the stove and the oatmeal was a victim of it. It doesn't taste good, does it?" I smiled. " It tastes great, but it has given me much more energy than usual! I feel like I could run for years without running out of energy!"

**4 hours later**

It was time... The match was about to begin and the stands were just filling up. Fangor stopped me before I entered the arena. He knelt down to where he was eye level with me, casting an emotionless gaze upon me. " Know this before you enter. I will be fighting at my fullest potential. I will not be holding back. I can not show favoritism for a pupil, no matter how young. If you die in this battle, you will be ressurrected in the hospital wing of the academy and will have to wait another year before you can take your final exam again. I won't say good luck, however. So, do your best, and may God be with you." With that he used his teleportation spell to get away.

I heard the announcer come on the loudspeaker, hesitantly as though he were quite nervous. " Well, I didn't think we would ever see a match like this! The Guardian of the Order Emeralds, Tomias Dimitri a.k.a Green lightning, against our most powerful warrior-mage, Fangor! Be sure to have your video cameras, folks. This could turn out to be the match of the deca-mellinium!" The crowd began whispering amongst themselves. The anouncer called for silence as he announced the entrances. " Making his way into the arena, standing at 8 feet tall weighing in at 120 lbs, FANGOR!" No applause or cheering came from the crowd. Nor, for that matter, did they boo. They maintained silence as the warrior took his place at the opposite end of the arena, 300,000 feet away. _ This arena is far larger than the last one..._ I shook my head. Fangor remained as emotionless as when he had confronted me at the entrance. The announcer called for silence again, more out of habit than neccessity. " Now making his way into the arena, standing an amazing 1 foot 8 inches tall and weighing only 10 lbs, the same powerful little two-tailed fox that, just two weeks ago, defeated 10 seniors from the same academy he is in, let's give it up for... GREEN LIGHTNING!" A deafening roar of applause and cheers errupted from the crowd as I walked into the arena, staff in hand. I nearly had to cover my ears because of how loud they were. The announcer called for silence yet again, and the crowd ceased to be heard. Immediately a containment field went up around the entire arena, something that had been present in all of the matches, but was much larger in this one due to the increased size of the arena. _Soon... I feel this match won't last long. Whether that is good or bad, I can not tell._

" 3... 2... 1... FIGHT!" Yelled the announcer. Fangor immediately entered 'battle drive' and charged forward at a speed too fast for me to see. He was practically light itself. _ Come on, magic... don't fail me now!_ I thought as I prepared the modified 'incognito' spell. Just before he brought his sword down on me, he came to an abrupt halt. All four of his eyes seemed to be on me. " T-Tails?" He said, confused. " Fangor seems to be hallucinating or something! He has comepletely halted his attack! This doesn't look good for him!" Stated the announcer upon noticing this. _ Now's my chance! _ I ran around behind him, jumped up, and spun around with my staff held out at arm's length. The staff struck him in the back of the head with a resounding thud as he flew across the arena and struck the containment field, rebounding to the center of the arena. He landed on his feet, then dropped to his knees and fell forward, still looking confused. The containment field immediately dissapated, allowing the referee to enter the field to inspect Fangor. " Fangor is unconscious and unable to continue the match! Victory goes to Tomias Dimitri!" The referee yelled. " That was the shortest match we have ever seen on this battlefield, folks! Let's give it up for Green Lightning the Elite!" The announcer stated. The crowd began chanting my name over and over again. What seemed like a sea of many different foxes came rushing towards me, asking me for such things as my 'autograph', phone number, a date with me, 'marry me' ( are you feeling alright! I do not even know you!), and other such things. A moongate opened behind me and I was pulled through. I turned around and saw that I was now with Aleena in our room in the academy. She hugged me tight and sat me on my bed. " Congratulations on graduating, Tomias!" She said, smiling. I returned the smile. " Thank you for getting me out of there, Aleena. That was a bit... scary I think." She smirked. " No way I was going to let them have MY boyfriend." An alarm clock went off in her room and she bit her lower lip for a few seconds. " Great... two straight matches... Well, see you later! You've gotta get packed so you can move back home, Tomias!" I nodded and proceeded to place my belongings in my temporal vortex as Aleena opened a moongate and left. It didn't take me long to get packed because most of my stuff had already been stored the week before. I turned to walk out the door and noticed that there was a sheet of paper attached to the door. It read:

**JULY-1 is Prom Night. This is a MANDATORY event for all who are Master class or Instructor. All others are forbidden entrance. Those who do not come willingly will be dragged there by their fan-club, so it is reccommended that you DO NOT be L-A-T-E! Thank you for your cooperation.**

I moaned. _ I hope I will not have to dance there... I have not danced in my entire life!_ I thought to myself as I left through the front doors of the building, now seemingly a death sentence to see again. _ Home free... for a while at least._ I thought to myself as I made my way to the public moongate to meet Sonic at his car. He was standing by the pasenger-side door, tapping his foot impatiently. " You're 3 seconds late! What took you so long! Did Aleena have to stop to check you for boo-boos?" Sonic teased as I walked up to him. I just rolled my eyes. _ Why does he have to pick me apart about my relationship? Why can't he just grow up and stop acting so childish?_ I waved my hand, dismissively. " No, that is not the reason, Sonic. I had a sheet of paper attached to my door I had to read." He raised an eyebrow. " What is it, bookworm? Did the newest magazine of 'Books-R-Us come in?" I shook my head. " I'll let you see it when we get to my house. Oh, Sonic?" He raised his eyebrow again. " Please mind the speed limit this time, alright?" He grumbled but nodded, apparently reluctant to go at any speed slower than the fastest he could go. It took quite a while to reach my house, and to make matters worse, I had to listen to Sonic's complaints about going so slow and his pleas to allow him to 'put the pedal to the metal', but I reminded him what had happened last time he performed such a feat. He was quiet the rest of the trip. I nearly fell asleep along the way, having used quite a bit of energy in casting my spell. I yawned as I stared sleepily at the road in front of us, the wind blowing my fur and hood around. A blue light shot past us as we drove along. Sonic's mouth gaped open a bit. Without turning to me he asked me whether or not I had seen it. " It's just Fangor, Sonic. You do remember he moves at twice the speed of light, right?" He nodded. " How could I forget?" I yawned and returned to staring at the road. The rest of the trip passed, uneventful. After we slowed to a stop in front of my house, Shadow stood up from the flowers he had just planted in the garden. He opened the passenger side door and, after unbuckling my seatbelt, I stood up and literally fell out of the car. Shadow grabbed me a mere 3 inches before my face would have hit the ground. " Easy there! You don't want mud pie for supper, do you?" He said, chuckling. I merely yawned as he placed me back on my feet. He let out a low whistle. " Remind me never to take up studying magic. I definetly don't want to end up like you." I smiled and yawned, feeling tired as the world dimmed a little. I blinked, bringing my eyes back into focus. " I think you'd better get into bed, or you're liable to fall asleep with your food for a pillow, kid. Oh, by the way? Congratulations on graduating. Fangor arrived here a few minutes before you did, quite happy even though you just smacked him with your staff hard enough to knock HIM out cold." I smiled weakly and pulled out my staff, using it for support as I made my way to my room. Before I laid down in my bed, I unpacked and headed over to my nightstand. I checked the mirror, but what I saw wasn't myself before I had left the castle so many years ago. I took out a pen and sheet of paper and wrote:

_I look in the mirror, but see a stranger instead. No longer do I see the child I once was, but a warrior instead. The child is gone, hidden behind the face of a battle-scarred hero... Gone... But not dead. - Tomias Dimitri I Look in the Mirror_

Putting the pen in a drawer of my nightstand, I left the sheet of paper there to dry. I placed my cloak on the coatrack beside my door, and turned in for the night, welcoming sleep like an old friend once thought lost, yet once again found.

**July 1**

**That night**

I had slipped on my tuxedo at the request of Aleena who was wearing a dress like Amy's usual red one, but it was green instead. I was waiting in the living room for dad to figure out how to work the camera while Shadow waited anxiously like he was about to take over. His foot was tapping very rapidly, a constant thud as it kept hitting the ground. " Let's see... the instructions say... oh, drat! I can't read this! How do-" Shadow grabbed the instructions from him and shoved him aside. " Watch a pro!" He tossed the instructions away and motioned for Aleena and myself to edge closer. He kept motioning until there wasn't any space left between us. " Perfect! Now, I want you two to hold hands and gaze into each other's eyes." I was feeling quite uncomfortable in front of the camera, but obeyed. Aleena was smiling while staring down at me. " Alright, now, lean closer and-" He was cut off by Amy. " Shadow, just take the picture already!" Shadow shook his head. " I want this to be a moment for them to remember, Amy. Now, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, I want you two to lean closer and kiss each other." Amy sighed and shook her head, muttering how it was just another excuse to get himself behind another camera. Aleena leaned closer, and I reluctantly obeyed. Right as our lips met, the camera flash went off, nearly blinding us. " Perfect! Another one for the photo album!" Amy's mouth dropped open. " You mean the LIBRARY of photo albums you have in your mansion you camera-crazed-maniac!" Shadow smirked as he sped off to wherever he goes to copy photos. Aleena and I finally relaxed and walked outside, enjoying the cool night air before the time for us to head to the Prom arrived. Fangor came out and joined us, muttering somewhat displeased under his breath. Aleena smiled and looked over at him. " What's wrong, Fangor? Can't dance?" He shook his head. " I don't dance. It is a requirement that I will not participate in willingly. This is going to be a very long night indeed." Aleena giggled. " Cheer up! At least you'll meet a pretty girl about your age! There should be plenty of girls your age to ask to the dance." Fangor shook his head, still quite displeased about the situation. " You know so little about Kintushian traditions... They'll only be going after me becuase of how powerful I am. It sets off the opposite gender's hormones, kinda like human infatuation. Once they are used to the power, they trail off and leave you alone comepletely. I have learned to suppress my hormones, so it doesn't affect me. True love, however, is far rarer. Though, I don't much care for it." He shook his head and went back inside. Aleena looked back to me, curiously. " What does he mean? He should care. Has you told you anything about it?" I shook my head. She shrugged. Then her eyes took on their curious stare again. " Did you ever go out with anyone in the past? I mean before you were resurrected? You had to of had lots of girls before me... You're so caring and attractive..." I shook my head. " You're the first. I was too busy being in the hospital wing, studying, and trying to live to see the next day that I never had time for girls. I died without knowing anything about love or anything like that." She frowned, concerned. " Oh, you poor thing! That's so sad! I'm sorry I brought it up." I shook my head. " It's alright, Aleena. I do not keep secrets from you." She smiled and hugged me. " Thank you, Tomias."

Well, the Prom turned out alright... Fangor didn't like it much, though. He spent most of his time fighting the females that came after him, his motions smooth and fluid, like a dance. I quickly learned both how to dance, and how much getting swatted by someone's tailblade hurts when you step on their feet. Most of the songs were fast-paced, just the way Kintushians liked them. Others were slow, at the request of Esna, Aleena, and a few of their friends. A few of the girl foxes that were there repeatedly cast glares at Aleena, which she either didn't noticed, or didn't care. Shadow hung out at the refreshment table, smirking as he watched Amy drag Sonic around the dance floor. Rouge and Knuckles were leaning against the wall talking to each other. I learned from Aleena that, because they were Freedom Fighters, they were allowed there. I also learned that she had barely passed her magic final exam, and easily passed her combat final exam. At the end of the Prom, we were all told to get with our date ( Fangor wound up having to get with a 14-year old bright-blue haired female that looked as though she was having the best night of her life, while on the other hand, Fangor looked like he was staring at the grim reaper). Amy and Sonic were the first to go in, Sonic grabbing whatever he could to keep from being dragged into a photo shoot with her. Soon after Shadow was dragged in by Sally, he looked as though a ghost had him, his eyes were wide in terror as he was mumbling something under his breath. He glared at Sonic as he caught him laughing at him. Next up were Aleena and myself, followed by Knuckles and Rouge, then Esna and some hedgehog that appeared to be nearly asleep, and then Leadfoot with one of the foxes that had mobbed me after my match. The fox stuck her tounge out at me as she passed. Aleena glared at her, threateningly while putting an arm between her and myself. She shrank against Leadfoot as they made their way to the photo shoot. 3 hours later, I was finally back home, in bed, wearing my normal clothes, letting sleep take me like a pleasant memory.

**END OF CHAPTER**

I know it's kind of pointless to say this, but, sheesh! That chapter was LOOONNGGG! And now that Green Lightning, Aleena, Esna, and Leadfoot have graduated, what's going to happen next? Even I don't know... Well, not really. Read and review, please!


	16. Guardian of the Forest Part 2: Chapter 9

Alright! Part 2 is coming to a close! This will be the next to last chapter for Part 2: The wait! That means that the wait is almost over! But that doesn't really mean anything, does it? And I have a question I've been meaning to ask Fangor myself... Why do you not try to date anyone? I mean, you have an ENTIRE fan-club (far more fans than I have...) that wants you, yet you refuse to even date any of them... Perhaps we will find out why soon... Or you could be your usual self and keep your feelings secret even to your closest friends. Your choice. Well, I'd like to take this time to thank Felouse and Mr. Goodson for their reviews, and thank Hannah (FoxFan999 or AngelTails) for allowing me the use of Aleena in this story. I don't know where Green Lightning would be without her... Although I think he would be pushing up flowers long before now... After all, before she came along, he had no one to defend. He wouldn't even defend himself. Now he's more together than before. Well, I've rambled on long enough... On to the story!

**Chapter 9: Not every hero lives his days being... heroic**

**A bit more than a month later...**

**Character ages:**

Fangor: 16- February 18

Green Lightning: 6- February 18

Miles Tails' Prower: 28-January 30 (captured by Robotnik's new henchman)

Sally Acorn (called Aunt Sally' by Tails): 33-may 3

Sonic Hedgehog: 35-August 9

Amy Rose: 33-August 19

Rotor: 29-November 9

Bunny Rabbot: 35-January 8

Anthonie: 34-April 17

Shadow: 35-March 26

Knuckles: 35-June 9

Rouge: 34-June 17

Dr. Quack: 59-April 29

Aleena: 13- October 8

Esna: 22- May 11

Leadfoot: 22- May 29

Angel: 18- August 2

Becca: 17- August 9

Tiffany: 5- Jaunary 1

** denotes that they no longer age either because of serving in war, or, in Green Lightning's case, because of a Kintushian morphing into his body before he has obtained it.**

**July 1**

**Green Lightning's POV**

The graduation ceremony had proceeded smoothly a week after the prom, followed a week later by the memorial to those who gave their lives defending Knothole. I am not ashamed to admit that I did shed more than my share of tears, even after Aleena tried to comfort me. Fangor, however, was unable to feel sorrow, so he just felt glad that they had given their lives to protect people unlike the fallen Kintushian races. I pity him. Now, I stand before Ms. Acorn in the grand hall of the palace, awaiting my first assignment as a freedom-fighter in training. They were going to see how well I did in the field. I was sitting there, wondering what my task would be, when Princess Sally Acorn entered the room. I stood up from my chair and took a deep bow, only to be reprimanded by her. " There is no need for such formalities, To- I mean Green Lightning. Times have changed. That, and the fact that you are royalty yourself." I rose from the floor, blushing slightly. " Though I am royalty, I care not. My father taught me that it is proper to bow to the reigning lord or lady when being addressed in their court. I am sorry if I have offended you, Ms. Acorn." She shook her head. " It's alright. Just please break that habit... It serves no purpose other than to make it look as though you think of yourself as a being lower than the one you choose to bow before. Now, please-" She gestured towards the raised chair that stood in front of her desk, "-Have a seat." I nodded and climbed up into the seat, my head barely coming above the top of the desk. She was looking down at me, smiling. She reached into a drawer on the right hand side of her desk and pulled out a rolled up peice of parchment with a bright red seal on it showing an acorn as it's ensignia. She slid it across the desk to right in front of my nose. " This is your assignment. You are to attend to it on the first of September. In the meantime, relax. Also, your mother and father have begun reconstruction of Mystic Castle. They are placing it where it used to be, the place we now call Mystic Ruins. You are dismissed. Run along and play now." She waved as I left, holding the parchment tightly as I opened a moongate to my house.

I set the parchment on my desk next to my laptop and cell phone, which was currently dead quiet. _ About time they decided to stop calling me..._ I removed the seal from the parchment and placed it, unrolled, on the desk in front of me. It read:

**Name: Tomias**

**Rank: In-Training**

**Age: 6**

**Partners for Assignment:**

**Amy Rose- Captain**

**Bunny Rabot- General**

**Aleena Prower- In Training**

**Cream ( last name unkown)- Civilian- Age 6**

**Assignment:**

**Travel to Halmner town and establish diplomatic relations by any means neccessary. If turns out to be hostile, do not hesitate to return. Transport 1 will be available for your usage on this mission. Take care not to allow harm to come to the civilian that will be accompanying you. - Princess Sally Acorn of Knothole Freedom Fighters**

_Aleena's going to be with us... I guess Ms. Acorn could not stop her, even if she wanted to..._ I rolled the parchment back up as footsteps approached the door. Before they even knocked I answered, " Come in." I turned around and saw Aleena walk in wearing her normal white t-shirt, denim blue jeans, and white shoes. Like Kintushians that served on the battlefield during a war, her age was stuck. Unlike Fangor, her age was stuck at 13 instead of 16. She smiled as she came over to me and grabbed my hand, gesturing for me to follow her. " I just heard about something you might want to take a look at!" She ran downstairs with my feet off the ground and my body trailing behind her. She ran deep into the forest near my house, and stopped at a pond in the middle of a small clearing. The pond was about as far across as half of Fangor's height. She sat down in front of it and told me to sit accross from her. She peered into the pond and smiled. I looked over at where she was looking, expecting to see her reflection. Instead I saw myself, looking depressed while sitting in a classroom full of others wearing green robes... all except eight. I was the only one wearing a golden robe and a golden crown to match. Sitting around me were seven individuals, wearing black robes, who were only known as the Black Robe gang. All the images faded except mine, sitting there, still depressed. It then changed to the way I looked now, just the same I was then, with a change of clothing and no longer looking depressed. I was shocked. I had never seen something like this. She smiled and pointed in front of me. I followed her finger down into the water right in front of me. Instead of my reflection, I saw a reflection of Aleena, just the way she looked now. I was shocked and confused. " What is this? I have never seen-" Aleena silenced me by pointing at a nearby sign. I walked around to the front of it and could just barely make it out by the light of the moon. It read, in Mystic writing:

**Lovers' spring**

**Gaze into the waters and see your true love!**

**Caution: DO NOT DRINK THE WATER!**

" So, I see you finally found it. Not something I'd be interested in, though." Came Fangor's voice from the edge of the clearing. Aleena looked up in surprise. " What are you doing here, Fangor? Did you come to-" He shook his head. " I came her because Amy is standing at the front door, tapping her foot, looking quite displeased because someone is up past their bedtime." He then pointed at me a little, as though he hardly cared. I looked up at him, confused. " Since when have I had a bedtime?" He smirked and laughed a bit. " Since your parents made Amy your legal guardian. I would suggest you hurry before she decides to come out here and drag you back. And I've heard from Sonic that her punishments are not very pleasant..." He trailed off as he reached up, grabbing a fist that was aimed for his face and threw the person into a nearby tree. " Well, that's a friendly greeting for ya, dad." I turned around to look at who he had thrown. Remarkably he resembled Fangor in height and slightly in the face, except he was quite angry, and he was wearing something an Emperor would wear rather than what Fangor was wearing. He picked himself up and dusted off his imperial cloak, then glared at Fangor. " What is the meaning of this! You go to a prom to DANCE with the girls, not to fight them! EXPLAIN YOURSELF, NOW!" I could tell he was incredibly angry. Fangor and his dad exchanged glares as Fangor began talking again. " I thought it was already clear to you that I do not want to divulge in the matters of love! First, all those girls were feeling were their hormones going, second, if I did get married or whatnot, it would only bring my mate sorrow and disapointment because of the path I have to take. You KNOW the prophecy. Now, is that the only reason you came here, or did you want to pick a fight as well!" His father smiled and replied: " Yes. Your friend, Amy, says Aleena has 5 minutes to return Green Lightning or she will e-mail his fan club all the baby pictures that his parents have stored somewhere in the house, along with that photo Shadow took the night of the prom." Fangor laughed quite loudly. " Blackmail is the best she can come up with?" He continued laughing. I on the other hand, was sweating nervously and blushing almost as red as Knuckles. Aleena grabbed my hand and opened a moongate nearby. She ran through it with my body off the ground like a rag doll.

When we came out, Amy was there looking quite displeased. " Well!" She said, glaring at Aleena. " Why did you take him out past his bedtime! Explain. I am listening." Aleena blushed and told her the situation. Amy looked up at the sky, shaking her head and muttering inaudibly. She then looked back down to us. " Aleena, go home now. I'm sure your parents will want to know why you were out so late tonight. I will phone them ahead of time letting them know." She nodded and opened a moongate, walking through it with her head hung. Amy turned to me. " As for you, it's your bedtime, and I don't want any excuses just so you can stay up longer. Good night." With that she grabbed my hand, tight enough for it not to slip out of hers, yet loose enough to keep from hurting it, walked in, closed the door, and walked up to my room. " Amy, I can get to my room just fine by myself." She looked down at me as we walked through the door to my room. " I want to make sure you go to sleep instead of climb out the window or something. Now go lie down. I'll be back up in about a minute to tuck you in." _Why does she have to act so much like my mom? I... Well, in this body I'm a little kid... But I can do this on my own. I don't need someone there to make sure I obey... Do they not trust me?_ I walked over to my bed and climbed into it, pulling the covers up to my chin as I stretched my legs out on this bed that was far bigger than I acutally needed. I turned over to my side so I could stare out the window until I fell asleep. Soon I heard footsteps coming up the stairs, obviously Amy's because she was the only other person in the house at the time. The footsteps didn't stop till they were right next to my bed. I felt myself get rolled over to look up and see a pink hedgehog that had the face of a worried mother. She brought the covers up to my chin again and pressed them tightly under my shoulders. Then, like my mom would have done, she kissed me on the cheek, showing she cared. " Good night. Have pleasant dreams." She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. I stared at the ceiling for a bit, wondering why she and my mother had to treat me like such a little kid when I was obviously able to handle myself well enough on my own. I grew tired quickly and closed my eyes, falling asleep.

**July 2**

I woke up feeling quite strange. My head felt like it was burning, my entire body except for my head hurt strangely, and I could hardly open my eyes. I slowly got out of bed, moaning in pain as I stood up. I pulled out my staff and, using it for support, walked to my bedroom door. I opened it and stepped out, still not feeling quite myself. I closed the door and then turned to go downstairs. I carefully walked down, leaning on my staff to keep from falling over. About midway I looked around a bit and saw Amy in the kitchen cleaning dishes with Fangor's help, Aleena was sitting in an e-z chair listening to some music on her CD player while reading a book, and Tikal was looking in a shoppers guide for the mall again. I walked downstairs the rest of the way, but, when I reached the bottom, my strength gave out on me and I hit the floor with a thud. I propped my staff up and started to pull myself up as Amy came to me from the kitchen, leaving Fangor with the rest of the dishes to wash. " Are you feeling alright?" She asked. I didn't answer. I proceeded to pull myself up into a standing position. Once I was standing, she took off a glove and put her hand to my forehead. She quickly drew her hand back as a look of concern crossed her face. " Not only do you look awful, your forehead is hotter than a normal fever would allow... FANGOR! GET IN HERE PLEASE!" Fangor walked in from the kitchen, leaving behind a pile of excessively clean dishes. " Yes, Amy? Do you need something?" She pointed at me after putting her glove back on. " He needs taken to the doctor. He seems to have a very high fever." Fangor nodded. I proceeded for the door only to be picked up into a lying down posistion as my staff disapeared. Although my eyes were almost closed, I could see Fangor shaking his head. He walked outside and set me in the back seat of his '93 White Toyota Supra ( I got this information from Fangor as he got in) and slid into the drivers seat. I knew this wasn't the way a normal car was supposed to look. It had been expanded to accomodate Kintushians. He immediately floored it as soon as the key was turned. The car took off faster than Sonic had driven the other day when he got pulled over. Within 30 seconds, he had performed a perfect parrallel park, turned off the ignition, and carried me into the hospital, even though I insisted on walking on my own two feet.

We walked up to the receptionist desk where a female Forest Kintushian was sitting. " Hello, sir. May I help you?" Fangor turned one stalk-eye towards me, and the receptionist followed his gaze. " He has a high fever that-" " Are you the legal parent or guardian of this child?" " No-" She shook her head. " Sorry, company policy clearly states that the legal parent or guardian has to bring in the child if they are under 18 years of age. We could be sued, you know." Fangor sighed in exhasperation and headed back out to the car, ignoring my protests that I could walk on my own two feet. We sped all the way back to my house without being stopped. Fangor jumped out after turning off the ignition and removing the keys. He picked me up out of the backseat, seemingly deaf to my pleas to allow me to walk on my own. He walked through the front door and threw Amy his keys as he entered. " Did you-" He shook his head and handed me to her. " The legal parent or guardian has to take the child in. They're worried about being sued... Bah!" He walked into the kitchen to get breakfast ready for everyone else. Amy turned to Tikal. " Tikal, could you please go get the infant seat from the closet? He's too small to be-" Tikal nodded and left for the closet in the upstairs hallway. Aleena was still in the middle of reading her book while her music was still going with the 'loop-play' button held down. Tikal came down a few minutes later carrying a car-seat. " Can't I just run there, Amy?" Amy looked at me and shook her head. " You have a higher than normal fever! You shouldn't be doing much activity." I groaned. Tikal came back in, looking at me with pity. " I hope you get to feeling better." With that she went into the kitchen to help Fangor get breakfast ready.

Amy walked outside and put me in the car seat, facing towards the back of the car. She then pulled a harness over my head and shoulders that hooked into a buckle between my legs. She then pulled on something and it got tight enough to where I couldn't move forward. I didn't much like that, but I wasn't in a position to struggle. I felt worse than I had when I woke up earlier that morning, if it was at all possible. She then got into the driver seat and the car somehow automatically adjusted itself to accomodate the length of her legs and her body compostion. I only knew this because she was complimenting the car as it adjusted itself. She then slapped her forehead and went around to the side of the car I was on and pulled the standard lap belt accross the car seat, making sure it would move as little as possible. I could still barely open my eyes, but it was enough to see that she looked even more worried than before. She went back around to the driver side of the vehicle, got in, and as I heard the ignition turn, we started off. It took us 30 minutes to reach it this time, and I felt even more miserable when we got there. Amy unbound the car seat and took me out of it, holding me with one arm while resting my chin on her shoulder. She ran into the hospital, being careful not to run into anyone or not to drop me. A male Forest Kintushian saw her coming and opened the door for her as she approached. " Thank you!" She said as she ran by him. He looked at me with pity as Amy ran up to the reception desk. " Hello ma'am. May I help you?" She said with the same polite tone she had used towards Fangor. " She laid me down across both her arms and looked down at me, worried. " He's got an abnormal fever! He can barely stand and already collapsed-" " Are you the legal parent or guardian of this child?" Amy nodded. " I am the legal guardian of-" The receptionist raised her hand and waved it dismissively. She then pushed a button on the desk next to a clipboard and stack of papers. " Doctor to reception desk please! We have a patient at front desk! I repeat-" A doctor came running out of the hall at 120 miles per hour, dodging people who happened to be in the way at the time, and stopped next to the receptionist. " Yes, Ms. Brandyworth?" " This patient needs an examination. And please stop speeding through the halls. You're going to send someone through a wall one of these days." He looked over at Amy, then at me. " Which one of you is the patient? You or your son?" Amy shook her head. " It's him, and he's not my son." He nodded and pulled out a cell phone and began dialing very rapidly. " I need a room cleared out so I can examine a patient to determine illness... Yes I know most of the rooms are empty, but it is protocol! Just get it done, alright! I'll be there in about 30 seconds... Never mind. Receptionist is glaring at me. Make that 5 minutes. Patient is a very young male kitsune, subspecies is Mystic I think, if I remember correctly from the academy... Just hurry it up! I'm not very patient, you know." He hung up and motioned for Amy to follow him.

After about 5 minutes of passing hundreds of empty rooms at a brisk walk, we stopped in front of a room that was larger than most of the others, but still held a single bed with only one window looking to the outside. He gestured towards the bed. Amy set me down and the doctor went over to the closet and pulled out a thermometer. After washing it off in the sink, he went over to the bed and stuffed it in my mouth. It was ice cold to the touch, but I hardly cared because I felt quite miserable at the moment. _I hope he hurries so I can get back to my normal activities... I was looking forward to trying to perfect my flying today..._ After about 10 seconds he took it out and examined it with a disapointed look on his face. " Well, nothing's wrong inside his mouth... normal temperature there..." He washed the thermometer off again and went back in the closet, coming out with a couple of hand-held scanners like what would be used in libraries to read bar codes. " Now, I'm going to need you to hold still for a few seconds. This won't hurt at all." _Easy for him to say... I'm in pain already._ He held one of the scanners a few inches from my forehead and pulled the trigger on it, holding it for a few seconds. He pulled it back and looked at the top of it. He shook his head with a shocked look on his face. " 193.8 brain temperature..." Amy gasped and sat down in a nearby chair quickly. the color drained from her face. " Now we need to run a blood test to determine a few things... it will take a few moments, so please be patient." He grabbed the second scanner, pressed it against my arm, and pulled the trigger. He held it for about 2 minutes, all the while the pain lingered. He then pulled away and put the scanner back on the counter. He walked over to the wall and opened the window, allowing a cool breeze to blow through. He then turned to Amy with a serious look on his face. " We need you to fill out some paperwork on the child. We will have Fangor come over to verify the legitimacy of your statement on the earlier happenings of this morning. The blood test should be done in about 2 hours, so we'll let him get some rest in the meantime." With that, Amy and the doctor walked out, leaving me in the room alone with my miserable condition.

I rolled over and stared out the window, watching the clouds go by, unhindered by sickness or parents... _Could it get any worse?_ I thought to myself. A few minutes passed and they still weren't back yet. Just then, a black cloaked figure came by and jumped in through the window, looking down at me, his face hidden in the darkness of his hood. I attempted to get away, but he grabbed me and pinned me to the nearby wall, hard. " Where do you think you're going, pipsqueek!" He said, drawing a strange switchblade that he swung around a bit, showing off. He then pressed me against the wall harder, making sure I wouldn't move. " Now, be a good boy and hold still!" He reared back with the knife and proceeded to cut into me repeatedly, penetrating the skin but not the muscle. I was screaming in pain, only furthering his enjoyment. About 30 minutes before the doctor said the blood test would be done, he walked in and screamed in anger. " Leave the patient alone you cold blooded cretin!" The figure immediately threw me in a nearby corner and left. The doctor rushed over to me as I was losing concsiousness, practically kicking himself for leaving the window open.

**Amy's POV**

When we reached the reception desk, Fangor was already there, tapping his foot impatiently. There was a pile of papers sitting on the counter, waiting to be filled out. The doctor walked over and picked it up, pointing to an empty office nearby, just as white as the rest of the place. I walked in, eager to get out of the cold air of the rest of the hospital. Fangor followed after the doctor, standing in a corner, staring at the doctor rather than sitting in a chair. The doctor motioned for me to sit down, and pulled out a pen and hovered it above the paper, writing down everything as I said it. " Name?" " Amy Rose." " Name and age of patient?" " Tomias Dimitri or Green Lightning; 6." " Now, I need you to explain, in detail, the events that occurred before coming to the hospital this morning. Legitimacy will be verified by Fangor upon completion." I took a deep breath and told him exactly what happened. Afterwards Fangor studied it long and hard, seemingly attempting to find any flaw whatsoever. He then nodded and handed it back to the doctor, signing it as he did. " You two wait in the reception area while I check on the patient." He opened the door and we walked out with him. I sat down in a large leather chair while Fangor stood nearby. " Do you think he'll be alright?" I asked him, hoping for some reassurance. But, as usual, he just shrugged his shoulders. " I don't know. I never dealt with illnesses. Further, I've never been in a hospital other than as a visitor." I hung my head. " You could be more reassuring you know." I looked at my watch, worried about why the doctor was taking so long. It had been almost 2 hours since we had left Green Lightning, and the doctor had left to check on him 30 minutes ago. He came back about 2 minutes after the time he had stated, looking very worried. " You wouldn't of happened to bring an extra set of clothes with you, have you?" I shook my head, confused. He sighed and walked back down the hallway, out of sight. I looked up at Fangor, who seemed to be in a world of his own at the moment. " What was that about, Fangor?" He merely shrugged and just kept staring blankly. _Why do I even bother..._ Within a few minutes, the doctor came back, Green Lightning held in his arms. As he came closer it seemed as though something were missing. When he got within 5 feet of us, it became very clear that something was missing. He came closer, and I noticed some dried blood here and there on his visible fur. I pulled out my hammer, ready to pound a few heads in. " Where are his clothes, and what have you done to him!" I raised my hammer above my head, ready to pounce. " Calm down, Ms. Rose. Please step into my office so it can be explained. Don't jump to any conclusions. We have done nothing that would harm your son." I sighed as I put my hammer away. " He's not my son. I'm a legal guardian, not a parent." He turned slightly red. " Sorry, ma'am. My apologies." We walked into his office, Green Lightning still in his arms.

As we stepped in, he handed him to me. Fangor took residence of the corner again, eyes closed even though we knew he was highly alert. Green Lightning was asleep in my arms, wearing only his shoes and a diaper. " What happened to his clothes!" I said, glaring at the doctor. He waved a hand dismisively, but I was not going to let him off that easily. He then put a tape into a VCR that I had not noticed before. He turned around his computer monitor and it showed that, less than 10 minutes after we left, a hooded figure jumped in through the window into Green Lightning's hospital room. He walked over to the bed and Green Lightning tried to crawl away. He was grabbed by the stranger and slammed against the wall very hard. " Where do you think you're going, pipsqueek?" The figure stated, amused as he pulled out a knife from the folds of his robe. He then began slashing it through the air, then he reared back and proceeded to lacerate Green Lightning. The doctor fastforwarded the tape, showing nothing except the cloaked figure cutting up Green Lightning for more than an hour. I had my hands over my mouth, breathing heavily as I watched this. The doctor stopped the fast forward and it showed him entering the room. He immediately looked angry beyond all reason and shouted: " Leave the patient alone you cold-blooded cretin!" The figure threw Green lightning in a corner, his clothing, except his shoes, was nothing but shreds of cloth held on by blood now, and left through the window. The doctor rushed over to Green Lightning, a shocked look on his face. He then shakily picked up Green Lightning and placed him on the bed, closing the window with his tailblade. He turned to the camera. " Get a nurse down here, quickly!" Then the video shut off.

Fangor finally spoke. " So it seems he can regenerate from his wounds as well... Strange. Anyhow, did you get the blood test finished?" The doctor glared at him. " Parent or legal guardian ONLY!" Fangor shrugged and closed his eyes again. I turned towards him. " Did you find out what's wrong with him?" The doctor nodded. " According to the blood test, brain temperature, and DNA test, he has the Lyrux Fever." I shook my head in confusion. " What do you mean?" He shoved a stack of papers in front of me. " Well, with his DNA, he will obtain different diseases and such throughout his life at random, unprovoked and without a cause. They will cure themselves, but I want him moving as little as neccessary to avoid agrivating the condition. All diseases should go away in a day to a month. In the meantime, keep a close eye on him. Don't worry, none of his diseases will be contagious, no matter what they are. Now, with this particular one, I reccomend little movement and plenty of fresh air. If you decide to go for a walk, take him with you. But he IS NOT to be walking. Keep his physical activity low, even if you have to threaten him with blackmail." I looked down at him again, then back to the doctor. " Why didn't you give him more clothing than this?" He shrugged. " We don't have children's clothing. That was all we could get ahold of for children his size. His mother and father came in during and after the war and we delivered two healthy babies unto their family. Since then, we've had custom made diapers such as those in case they came in again. All the other clothing we have available is adult-sized. I don't think they would fit him very well." I sighed. " Aleena isn't going to be too happy about this." " Is Aleena his older sister?" I shook my head, smirking. " No, worse. His girlfriend." The doctor gulped and laughed nervously. " Well then, we will have to post a guard at the door next time." I turned to Fangor. " Could you take him to the car? I've gotta make a phone call." He shrugged and took him from me. I picked up my cell phone and dialed the number for Green Lightning's house. Tikal picked up the phone, sounding very worried. " I need you to go to the store, Tikal. There are a few things I need you to pick up." " How's Green Lightning?" " We're going to be coming back with him in a few minutes. I need you to pick up a few things at the store." I explained the situation to her, and got a few giggles back from the other end. " You do realize he isn't going to cooperate willingly, don't you?" I smirked. " I have my ways. I've already got blackmail lined up just in case." More giggles came from the other end." Alright, I'll head to the grocery store. Drive safely, alright?" I nodded. " Alright. See you in a bit." I hung up and headed out to the car. Fangor was waiting beside the passenger side door, waiting for me to get in and go. " You're coming too, Fangor." A confused look crossed his face. " I'm going to need you to get Green Lightning out while I help Tikal and Aleena with the groceries." He got pointed at the passenger side. " I won't be able to fit in there. Not enough leg room." I giggled. " Who said I would be driving?" I tossed him the keys and he didn't grab them till they almost touched the ground. He opened the passenger side door and jumped over the car, landing gracefully on the other side. He let the roof of the car down by pressing a multi-colored button on the dash with his tailblade while he put his seatbelt on. He looked at me, smirking. " I know you've always wanted to know what it felt like to travel at Sonic's speed, so..." He gestured towards the now open-topped car. I nodded, smiling. He faced forward, started the car, and floored it.

The feeling was envigorating! We were traveling far faster than Sonic, but it felt like he was right there with me, pulling me along as the breeze whipped through my hair. " This is great! Is this what it feels like to run like a Kintushian?" Fangor shook his head. " Kintushians other than myself can only reach speeds of up to 120 miles per hour, even when in the air." I looked at the spedometer gauge and was surprised at the reading. " 382 miles per hour? Isn't that a little TOO fast?" He raised an eyebrow at me while keeping one of his stalkeyes on the road. " You're talking to a Kintushian, remember? We're not only addicted to combat, but most of us can't get enough of going faster than we can run. Me? I just use it to get from place to place in a hurry." He suddenly slammed on the brakes, causing the car to come to a comeplete stop. I braced for impact, but it was like we had been sitting still the whole time. I looked at him in confusion. " COMEPLETE brakes. Much better than an emergency brake. It stops everything in the car, including beverages." He turned off the car after putting the top back up. " We're here already? How long did it take?" He looked at his watch. " About 13 seconds. Not bad." I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out, jerking my thumb towards Green Lightning, still out cold in the car seat. " Don't forget to-" Fangor laughed a bit. " I know, I know. Get 'sleeping beauty' out of the car. You expect me to forget that?" I turned around and glared at him a bit. " Please do not call him that. I am sure he would not like it." He smirked. " Yes, 'mother'." I sighed in annoyance. " Just do it, okay?" He nodded, serious again. He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car, jerking his tailblade out as the car shrank to normal size. I walked inside, leaving him out there with Tomias. Tikal signaled for me from the kitchen, where she and Aleena were putting up groceries. I walked in and started putting canned food in the cabinets above the microwave. Aleena put her hand on my shoulder to get my attention, nearly making me drop an extra large can of Chili I was putting in there for Sonic's chilidogs. I fumbled around with it and finaly got it under control. " Aleena, please be careful! These cans are heavy!" She giggled. " Sorry Ms. Rose. Umm... I have a question." I stuffed the chili in the cabinet and turned around. " Yes, Aleena?" " Well, actually two questions... Where is Tomias, and what are these for?" She reached into a couple of grocery bags and came out with a light blue diaper bag and a bag of 'Huggies- Double Tail Design' just as the door opened. Fangor walked in carrying Green Lightning cradled in one arm while holding the car seat with the other. He used his tailblade to close the door. Aleena turned to see who just came in. " Well, that answers question number one... Umm... Where are his clothes?" I sighed. " Tikal, please fill her in. I've got to finish putting these cans up." " Alright, Amy." Tikal grabbed Aleena by the arm and led her into Tomias's parents' room. " Amy? He's asleep now. What do I do with him now? Just set him on the floor?" I still had a few cans left to put up, so I refrained from answering. " Amy? Please answer me. I feel really awkward carrying him." I sighed. I put up the last can of chili and closed the cabinet. I walked into the living room and Fangor was standing there staring at me with an anxious look on his face. " What's wrong, Fangor? Can't stand waiting?" He cut me off with a shake of his head. " I'm not comfortable carrying around children." I shook my head smiling. " What's the matter? The warrior in you make you afraid to take care of children?" He shook his head. " You're afraid to be a father?" His face turned a bit red, but quickly returned to normal with a slight glare. " No." He said. I shrugged. I went upstairs and waved for him to follow.

We went in his room which had a large box in one corner, with everything else where he had left it that morning. " Set him on his bed. We'll let him sleep there tonight and see if he stays put. Right now, I want you to assemble that crib over the just in case he decides to get out of bed after being warned not to be moving much." Just then my cell phone rang. I fished around in my pocket and dragged it out, pressing a random button to answer it. " Hello? This is Amy Rose. May I ask who is speaking and why you have called?" " It's doctor Ezgan. The one that took Tomias's temperature and blood/DNA test?" I smiled. " Hello, Dr. Ezgan. Umm... Why have you called?" He seemed to take a few seconds to think about it. " Well, it's about Tomias. The blood test came out rather bad... If our calculations are correct, he won't be able to eat solid foods until this fever passes, if it is indeed the Lyrux Fever. Only about 3 of the Lyrux fever cases on our planet were able to eat solid foods during it, mainly becuase they were the strongest among us. You see, it saps strength from the muscles below the head, making it painful to move them out of the individual's will, and also raises the temperature of the brain to allow it a comfortable place to live. We have already filed a police report, and they are searching for the person that had lacerated him. Also, save telling his mother for a 'last resort blackmail'. His mother was racking our brains telling us how much she worried about him while she wasn't around to protect him. Well, I've gotta go. Paperwork isn't light here." He hung up, leaving me there smiling. I heard some slight giggling from behind me and turned around to see Aleena with her back against the wall, smiling. " No solid foods and limited movement... That means we are going to have to feed him, right?" I nodded and was answered with some more giggling. " He's not going to allow it willingly, you know. He's very self-reliant. I hope you got 'ready for anything', as the saying goes." I smiled and nodded. " I got everything I thought I would need. And I don't need to ask how you heard the conversation. I know your hearing is far better than mine. You think you can keep an eye on him while he's awake? I need to be ready to leave at a moment's notice and can't stay around here all day." She nodded, still giggling. Then her face turned serious. " According to Tikal, the doctor said we need to make him as comfortable as the situation allows. Did you take off his shoes?" I shook my head. " Leave them on, Aleena. They were the only thing that wasn't damaged by his assailant. Now let's leave before we wake him up. Oh, you think you could put that diaper bag and package of diapers in his backpack, just in case? And I don't want him being changed unless he needs it, alright?" She nodded and jumped over the balcony on her way downstairs. Fangor had already assembled the crib, leaving no flaws whatsoever, so he left as well. I walked over to Tomias's bed and tucked him in. He squirmed a bit as I did so. I walked out of the room, leaving him to rest.

**July 3**

**Green Lightning's POV**

" Shh! Shh! He's waking up!" Was the first thing I heard when I came out of sleep, rolling over in my bed and opening my eyes slightly, feeling a bit worse than I had yesterday. Even rolling over hurt alot, so I couldn't help but wimper as I repositioned myself. I expected to still be in the hospital, but instead I was in my own room, in my own bed. I could feel that I was not alone, although I couldn't exactly tell who was in my room because I hadn't had much practice at 'presence detection', like Kintushians that were naturals at it. I saw Aleena come into view, smiling. " Good morning, sweety. Did you sleep well?" I replied with a moan. I wasn't feeling well, but I wasn't about to willingly allow them to baby me because of it. I could take care of myself just fine. A slight look of worry crossed her face. _ Great... she's worrying about me now..._ " Still sick, huh?" I groaned. " Aleena, who else is in here?" I asked weakly, so that only she could hear. She looked past the foot of my bed and motioned for someone to come over. Three girls came up behind Aleena, gawking at me and whispering between themselves. I recognized all three as members of the fan-club that had mobbed me after the tournament. I looked up at Aleena and she smiled. " Don't worry. They may be in the fan-club, but they're not like most of them. They tried to peel them off of you. Meet Angel, Tiffany, and Becca." They smiled and waved. Aleena looked at her watch and then back to me. " Are you hungry?" I groaned and turned away from them, wincing in pain as I did so. " Well?" I admit I was hungry, but, if she was like my mom, I wasn't about to let her know that willingly. I couldn't lie, so I didn't answer her. " I'll take your silence as a yes. I'll be right back." I moaned and pulled my covers over my head, once again wincing in pain. _Why can't they just let me handle myself? I can eat just fine right now._ I felt the covers be pulled off my head and back under my chin and around my shoulders. " Aleena says you don't need to be moving much. She didn't tell us why, though." The one named Tiffany, a brown and gold fox, said as she stroked the fur on my head. She frowned. " You've got a fever still... A bad one at that. I see why she said you are not to move much." I groaned in reply.

Just then Angel, a white and blue fox, grabbed her nose and waved her hand in front of her face. " What is that smell! It's horrible!" Becca, a gray and turqoise fox, sniffed the air and followed suit. " You're right, Angel! What do you think it could be from?" Tiffany apparently just caught the smell, because she jumped back against the wall and grabbed her nose as well. They then looked at each other, then at me, then back to each other. " You don't think..." " No way... it couldn't be... could it?" " I don't think it could be him... It smells far too horrible..." " Well, we could always check, just to make sure..." Just then gunshots rang out and the three girls screamed and ran to the window, very scared. They sighed in relief, still holding their noses. " It's just the local 'garbage can' gang trying to rob a Kintushian only to be cought by the police. The smell should be gone in a few minutes." They all three sighed in relief as Aleena came in, unfortunately catching a wiff of it as well. She shreiked a little from it and I heard a small thud soon afterwards. " What is that horrible smell! It smells worse than a junk yard!" She said as she walked over to the others. Becca closed the window and the smell left instantly. " It's the 'garbage can' gang again. They just got hauled off to jail for attempted robbery. The smell should be gone in a few minutes. I swear... We thought HE had-" Aleena clapsed a hand over her mouth. " Shh! You'll embarress him!" " Sorry."

Aleena nodded and turned towards me. " The doctor said you can't eat solid foods for a while and that you need to refrain from moving as much as possible, so..." She held up a baby bottle. _Does she really think I'm going to let her sink me to this level? I've got my dignity, and I'm not giving it up THAT easily..._ I rolled over to where I was turned away from her and groaned. The girls giggled a bit. " Seems like he doesn't care for it. He certainly seems self-reliant." " Well, he needs to eat. The doctor said he won't be able to digest solid foods for a while, and he is to move as little as possible. I know he doesn't like it, but, doctor's orders." I groaned and pulled the covers over my head, wincing in pain again as I did so. " I could always e-mail your address to your fan-club. I'm sure they're dieing to know where you live." I groaned again. " Aleena, please, just let me eat on my own! I don't want to be babied just because I'm sick! I can depend on myself well enough." " The doctor said it is likely that your condition will be agrivated if you move around too much. He also said that if you don't cooperate that we should attempt blackmail." I moaned. " Aleena, please, no. I don't want to be worried over just for being sick!" " Well, I could always throw in some of your baby pictures along with the picture Shadow took on prom night." " Aleena! No!" " Didn't think it would come to this... I guess I'll have to get Fangor." " You really think he would be able to make me throw away my dignity like that?" This was answered by a few giggles from the others. " I don't think it's working, Aleena. Maybe we should find Ms. Rose?" " She's away on a mission. No chance of reaching her." " What about Ms. Acorn?" " She's got loads of paperwork to do... I guess I'm going to have to call his mom and let her take care of it." I grimaced. I knew how my mom was. She would wind up hovering over me, night and day, jumping at the slightest whimper, and she would most likely wind up keeping me there at least 2 weeks after the fever was gone. I valued my freedom too much for thatand didn't want my mother to worry. I pulled the covers off my head and back to my chin. " Please leave my mother out of this." I felt myself get turned over. I expected it to hurt, but it didn't. " You won't struggle?" Aleena asked when she came into view. " No... Just please don't tell mom." She smiled. " If you cooperate I won't. Otherwise..." She tossed a cell phone up and down in her hand, threateningly. She then handed the bottle to Angel and put the cell phone back on my desk. She then walked back over to my bed and pulled back the covers. " Is that all you have for him to wear?" Tiffany asked after she had pulled the covers away. " We're going to have to wait for his mom to make him some more custom-designed clothes. None of the ones in the stores will fit him because-" She pointed at my tails. " He's still cute, though. I never thought I'd be doing this... Good thing I had a little brother to practice with." She reached over and picked me up, cradling me in her arms. It was quite demeaning in my opinion.

She took one arm out from under me and motioned for Angel to hand her the bottle. Angle seemed a little hesitant. " Shouldn't it be warmed up first?" Aleena shook her head. " He'd spit it out if it was warm, and, frankly, I don't want milk all over me." Angel nodded and handed the bottle to her. She shoved it against my mouth. " Open." I reluctantly obeyed. " I'm not taking it away untill you've drunk all of it, so start drinking." I began sucking on the bottle like I had more than one thousand years ago. _Never thought I'd have to do this again..._ It took about three minutes to drain it, all the while I felt my cheeks flushing red. I was full for once since the operation to correct my stomach. " We were thinking about going for a walk so as to get some fresh air... and you're coming along whether you like it or not." I frowned but didn't object. " Alright... let me get my staff." I reached up towards my neck, pain taking hold of my arm in the process, and felt around for my amulets. They weren't there, but I could feel they were nearby. I turned my head towards my nightstand and saw both of them lying there, staff still glowing. " You're not going to be walking, Tomias." She put me down on my bed and walked over to her friends, dragging them out of my range of hearing and began whispering something to them. They giggled while casting glances in my direction. Just before they went downstairs, Aleena handed Angel the bottle and pointed for Becca to grab my backpack. Aleena was the only one that stayed upstairs, just long enough to pick me up off my bed and take me with them, once again with my cheeks red. When we got downstairs, Tiffany was holding my backpack while Becca was holding on to a baby carriage. _Ugh! Hasn't my dignity suffered enough already?_ " What have I done to deserve this..." I complained as Aleena carried me down the stairs. " You don't want this condition to be permanent, do you?" I groaned. " The doctor said you should get plenty of fresh air and that we should take you with us on walks. We're going to the park today." I sighed. " I'll be glad when this is over..." Aleena giggled. " Well, it isn't, so you might as well enjoy it." Aleena walked over to the carriage and placed me in it, pulling the sheet up to my chin as they walked out the door. " Keep your ears and eyes alert, girls. That guy could be out there." She pulled the hood of the carriage up halfway, sending part of the inside into darkness. " Tiffany, if things get desperate, take the carriage and run." " Why me?" " Because you're the youngest. We've already graduated from the academy of magic, and you're still just an apprentice." " Too bad I'm not an apprentice to Green Lightning... OW! What was that for?" " He's off limits!" " I didn't mean it like that! It's just that... He's so powerful I'm sure I would learn from him very quickly, that's all. I do not wish to take him from you." Aleena sighed. " Sorry... I guess I over reacted a bit." " Apology accepted. Now, can we please turn back towards the park?" I felt the carriage swivel around making me a bit queezy because of it. " Please don't do that again... I'm afraid I might 'lose my lunch' next time..." Aleena and Tiffany giggled. " Sorry about that... Got lost in the conversation." " Yes, and you're doing it again. I guess you can't talk and walk at the same time, huh?" More giggles pursued, then silence.

" There you guys are! What took ya?" Was the first thing I heard as we entered the park. " Sorry... Just found out I can't walk and talk at the same time without forgetting to turn." More giggles than before followed by a few sighs of relief. " Well, let's park this thing near the bench so we can relax." The carriage began moving again and I watched the clouds pass in the shade of the canopy. We slowed to a stop and the carriage began shaking rather violently. " Come on! Why won't this thing go down!" " Have you read the instructions? It says you have to PULL UP on the lever to put the parking break on." " Oops..." I heard a small click and a sigh of relief come from behind the carriage. The canopy came back down, allowing a cool breeze to come through. I smiled and closed my eyes, enjoying it. I opened my eyes a few minutes later, staring at the sky. _ This is absurd... When I get better, I'm going for a run through the forest..._ Suddenly the girls screamed and started shouting at someone that was outside my view. " What's the big idea shooting us with water guns! Can't you see we're-" This was cut off by the sounds of gurgling and the laughter of boys, apparently unaware that they had just soaked mages. I heard sputtering and gagging, then Aleena spoke, " That wasn't very nice, Edgar!" " I know something that would be nice... Why don't you go out with me instead of that two-tailed freak that had to have everyone else defend him last time he got attacked?" " Keep dreaming, bully! I would never-" She suddenly stopped. " Man that kiss was sweet!" Edgar said, oblivious to what Aleena could do to him. " He... he... he... kissed... me... He kissed me..." She suddenly roared in anger. " ONLY MY BOYFRIEND GETS TO KISS ME! PREPARE FOR PAIN, YOU CREEP!" I heard a few shrieks and a bench get knocked over as the other girls ran for cover. " KAL VAS FLAM!" Aleena yelled. I immediately heard Edgar scream in excruciating pain as he was hit by one of the most powerful spells in a mage's spellbook. I heard the thud of a body hitting the ground as he lost consciousness. I heard heavy breathing from Aleena as she calmed down.

" That was scary... I had no idea 7th circle spells were THAT powerful! That was awesome, Aleena!" Came Tiffany's remark after Aleena calmed down. Just then something made my head ill at ease. I felt a familiar presence come nearby. " He's here..." I said, still weak from the fever. " Right you are, your royal shortness..." I recognized the voice. It was the same man that had attacked me in the hospital while the doctors were checking on me. I heard a few screams issue from the girls as he came closer. Then... " Stop right there, sir." Fangor showed up. " If you came to stop me from killing him, don't worry. I don't want him dead... I only plan to torture him every day I get around to it." I knew Fangor was utterly calm because of his immense control of his emotions, so the way he replied didn't surprise me anywhere near as much as it surprised the girls. " I didn't come here to stop you, I merely came here to challenge you." I heard a low laugh issue from the individual that contained an evil presence. " And why exactly do you intend to challenge me?" " Because picking on the weak and defenseless is not a very honorable path. As soon as Green Lightning is better, you and I will have a match in the arena. You WILL come, or I will hunt you down and drag you there myself." I heard a moongate open and Fangor left through it. The cloaked man chuckled a bit to himself. " Now, where were we? Ah, yes! Step away from my target, little girls, unless you wish to die." No one moved. " You wish to lay down your lives to spare him from torture? Very well, then. I will gladly kill you first!" I heard a few spells being started, then saw 3 fireballs fly overhead along with a magical arrow spell. In return, an energy bolt spell was fired. I heard someone scream as it hit. " Aleena! Are you alright!" " It hurts... It hurts..." Was all that could be heard between the sobs. _ Aleena... _" Now to claim my prize..." Suddenly another magical arrow flew overhead, nearly scorching the carriage. The cloaked figure laughed. " You think you can stop me with such a puny spell? HAHAHA! You should have stayed at home with your mommy, girl! Now you are going to perish!" I heard him draw the same knife he had used on me. _ Tiffany..._ I couldn't just lie there while Aleena's friends were being hurt. I threw back the covers, using anger to provide adrenaline to keep the pain as small as possible. I jumped out and landed right in front of Tiffany, who was cringing in fright as the cloaked man came towards her. She shrieked as I landed, falling to my hands and knees and slowly getting back up. " Ah! It seems my prize has come to me instead! Very good!" I looked straight up at him and muttered a few words: " KAL ORT POR!" Immediately several bolts of lightning shot down and struck him. He dropped to his knees in pain, folding his arms across his chest, clutching himself as though to stop the pain now coursing through his body. " You'll pay for that, boy!" I raised a hand towards him and fired off an energy bolt with all the power I could muster at that point. An extraordinarliy large energy bolt spell sped towards him, hitting his entire body at once and leaving a large groove in the ground along the path it had traveled. He screamed as he flew back about one hundred feet, rolling to a stop. He then stood up and created a moongate. " I'll get you back for this, boy!" He said as he fell through it. I dropped to my hands and knees, then into a laying down position in a great deal of pain as the adrenaline from being angry wore off.

**Tiffany's POV**

Tomias had just collapsed on the ground, crying in pain while trying to hold his tears back. _ Why do boys always try to make themselves seem like they don't cry, even when we know they do? I guess I'll understand later... _ Aleena got up, dusting herself off, and lifted Tomias back into the carriage, shaking her head while smiling. _ I can see why she likes him so much... He would do what he could to protect others, even at the cost of his own life..._ " You're way too protective, Tomias. DO NOT get out of the carriage again, no matter what the reason." She covered him up and felt his forehead. " You still have that fever... I'm warning you for the last time. DO NOT MOVE unless ABSOLUTELY neccessary. If you get out of the carriage again, I will have to follow through with the blackmail. You need to follow the doctor's orders if you don't want this condition to be permanent, okay?" She stroked the fur on his head as his sobs died down and his eyes relaxed. Soon all we heard from him was light breathing. Angel walked up to the carriage and looked inside. " Aww... isn't that cute? He cried himself to sleep!" Becca merely sat down on the bench and looked through Tomias's bag. She came out with a few towels and tossed them to us. We dried ourselves off, still soaked from being hit by the water guns. Just then, Shadow, Ms. Rose, Sonic, and Ms. Acorn walked into view. Ms. Rose and Ms. Acorn were talking to each other about something while Sonic and Shadow were at each other's throats again about who was the fake or not the fake. They saw us and came over, Ms. Rose and Ms. Acorn looking quite happy, while Sonic looked mildly confused and Shadow... well, he was his usual cocky self. A moongate opened behind them and Fangor stepped through. _ Sure wish I could do that..._ I smiled as they approached, all of them taller than me. I was only a little taller than Tomias. " Hi girls! How are ya?" Sonic yelled as he came close. A moan issued from the carriage. Fangor smacked him on the back of the head. " OW! What was that for!" Fangor glared at him. " Keep your voice down! You'll wake up Green Lightning!" Sonic looked confused. " I don't see him... Where is he?" Aleena looked at Ms. Rose. " You haven't told him?" She shook her head. " I told him, but he won't believe me. I guess he will have to see for himself."

They gathered around the carriage and Aleena let the top down. " You're right... he does look awful..." Sonic put his hand to his forehead and slowly withdrew it. " His forehead is alot hotter than a normal fever... Will he live?" Everyone turned to look at Fangor. He nodded, smiling. I turned to Ms. Rose. " How did the mission go?" She shook her head. " He agreed to meet with our Freedom Fighter party at it's earliest convenience. Which means that after Tomias gets better, we can go." Shadow smirked. " The kid gets sick, and is rewarded by getting to be a baby again..." He started laughing till Aleena smacked him over the head with her staff. She backed away a bit, smirking. " He didn't accept it willingly. He's very independant. I had to threaten to tell his mother just to get him to allow us to feed him." Amy giggled. " I figured we'd have to use that. He's WAY too self-reliant. I think Fangor rubbed off on him." Everyone laughed at that. I heard a yawn come from inside the carriage. " What time is it?" Tomias asked as he woke up. Aleena looked at her watch. " It's about 5:40 in the afternoon." Ms. Rose grabbed Tomias's backpack and began looking through it. " Umm... Ms. Rose? What are you looking for?" She turned to Aleena. " Did you remember to put a bottle of milk in here?" Aleena slapped her forehead. " I knew I forgot something!" Ms. Rose gave her a dry look and then shook her head. " I'll go get it. Please wait here." Aleena nodded. " I would like to eat actual food and of my own accord-" He was cut off as Aleena uncovered him and lifted him out of the carriage, sitting on the bench and placing him on her lap. " Well, that's too bad. Doctor's orders." He frowned defiantly, eyebrows slanted in disaproval. _Even when he's mad he looks cute..._ " How old is he again?" Aleena rolled her eyes up, thinking. " He's 6." I smiled. " Wow! He's a year older than me, and I'm taller than him!" Aleena nodded.

Ms. Rose came back a few minutes later, carrying a bottle of milk and a bag of McDonalds. Fangor walked over to a nearby picnic table and cleared it off, allowing us room to eat. Ms. Rose handed Aleena the bottle while Tomias groaned and turned away. Aleena said something and stuffed the bottle in his mouth as he opened it to object, gettinga laugh out of everyone already at the table. " Tiffany! Get over here and eat!" Angel called. " Alright, sis!" I yelled back. I walked over, glancing back every now and then to see Tomias still 'eating' with a defiant look on his face. " Tiffany Cole Brown! Quit gawking at him and get over here!" I giggled and hurried to the table. I sat down between Becca and Angel, grabbing the small cheeseburger that was handed to me and eating it very quickly. " Tiffany! Slow down! You'll give yourself a stomach ache!" " But I'm hungry, sis!" Angel shook her head with a stern look on her face. " It doesn't matter! If you get a stomach ache, Mom is going to yell at me!" I hung my head. " Sorry, sis." I continued to eat, more slowly now. Ms. Rose finished her burger and went to releive Aleena.

**Green Lightning's POV**

I was about halfway finished drinking the milk contained in the bottle when Amy came over to releive Aleena. Aleena took the bottle out of my mouth as Amy picked me up. She stood up and Amy sat down, laying me in her lap as Aleena had done. Aleena handed her the bottle and headed towards the picnic table. She shoved the bottle against my mouth and I turned my head away. " Green Lightning, you've got to eat. You're not leaving until you have finished this." _This is ridiculous! How much more of my dignity do I have to give up!_ She turned my head back towards her and shoved the bottle against my mouth again. I opened my mouth to protest against my situation, but she shoved it in, making speech quite difficult. _Why did I have to open my big mouth?_ I drank it, but I let my face show that I didn't approve. After I was done she set me back in the carriage and covered me up. " Everyone ready to go?" Amy asked them as she walked away from the carriage. They all agreed that it was getting late, and Tiffany had to get to bed earlier than the rest of them, so Becca, Tiffany, and Angel went home while the rest of us went to my house. Shadow got stuck pushing the carriage because of a comment he made while I was asleep. He had his usual angry scowl on his face while he did it, cheeks flushed red as well. The trip to my house was uneventful. When we arrived, Shadow wheeled the carriage into the living room and put the parking brake on, walking away from it like it was a rabid dog. Amy walked into view and grabbed me out of the carriage, taking me upstairs to my room. She set me down on my bed and put her hand to my forehead as Aleena came in. " You're fever seems to be getting worse..."

Amy stood up and turned around, noticing Aleena standing near the door. " Aleena? Has he been changed today?" Aleena shook her head. " He didn't need it." " Have you asked him?" Aleena shook her head. " Even if we did ask, he would answer truthfully." I groaned. " I haven't had to use the restroom-" " Since before the operation?" Fangor said as he entered the room. " Yes." Fangor nodded. Amy turned to him, confused. " I've been wondering about why that is. Do you know?" Fangor nodded again. " He's had some energy crystals implanted into him, although I doubt they're functioning right now." I moaned again and glared at them a bit. " Just because I am sick doesn't mean I have lost control of my bladder!" Amy and Aleena giggled as Fangor left the room, obviously not wanting to be a part of this. " Well, you're sleeping in the crib tonight." I glared at Amy. " Why!" Amy took on her 'worried mother' look again. " Because you jumped out of the carriage today, even after you were told not to. We can't trust you to stay in bed, so we're putting you in the crib." " But they were in trouble! That guy that-" Amy held up a hand. " Aleena already told me. Regardless, you disobeyed the doctor's orders and it is therefore a neccessary precaution. Maybe when you're sick like this you'll learn to STAY PUT." I groaned. " Now, have you-" I knew what she was going to ask. " NO! I HAVE NOT!" Aleena backed up a bit. " He's kinda angry, don't you think?" Amy shrugged. " The fever seems to be getting to him." " Seems like the freak needs a nap." Came a voice from the window, obviously belonging to Edgar. " What do you want now, Edgar?" Aleena said. " Nothing but a kiss from the one that loves me!" He said, approaching her. She smirked. " Then go find a mirror, because-" He came a little too close and was whacked in the stomach by Amy's hammer. " She's taken, you no-wit! Now get out of here before I call the police!" He took a look at her hammer, gulped, and jumped out the window. Amy put the hammer away to who-knows-where and turned back to Aleena. " We're going to have to get a changing table in here, just in case." Aleena giggled and nodded. " You know he's not going to allow that, you know?" Amy smirked. " I have my ways." Amy walked over, picked me up, and put me in the crib that was about 3 feet from my bed. The mattress was a bit cold, so I couldn't help but shiver. Amy placed a blanket over me and tucked me in, warning me that if I got out of THAT, she WOULD call my mom. I cringed when she said that. Aleena walked up to the crib. " You sure you don't? Because I'm sure Amy doesn't want to be woken up in the middle of the night to come here and change you." I groaned. " No, Aleena." Aleena smiled and walked out of the room, turning off the light. I simply stared at the bars of my prison, letting myself fall asleep, knowing that there was a possibility that they were watching from the door, waiting for me to drift off to sleep.

**July 10**

I woke up like I had the past week, only I didn't feel feverish this time. Last night my head felt like it was on fire and I wound up crying myself to sleep from the pain of it. Amy had changed my daiper every morning over the past 6 days, using Fangor to hold my arms down so I couldn't keep her from getting me up on the table. I moved my arm, expecting it to hurt with mind-wracking pain, but instead, it felt normal. I stood up and stretched, ready to climb out of my little prison. I reached for the top of it, but my hand ran into something solid. I looked up and saw a lid on it, barring my exit. I pushed up on it as hard as I could, but it didn't give at all. _ Great... I'm trapped in here until Amy comes in with Fangor..._ I laid back down, smiling. _Finally I can get out of this predicament._ I looked at the clock sitting over on the nightstand on the opposite side of my bed. 7:59 AM it read. _Almost time for Amy to get up... I want out of here!_ I stood up and began pacing, wanting to get out of that cage and back into my normal clothes. I had been sick for a week, and now I was finally able to get back to my normal routine... Not that I quite had a routine... Nor was I quite normal. About 5 minutes later the light came on as Fangor and Amy entered the room. Amy came over and undid the lock on my cage, removing the lid afterwards. She saw me standing up and scowled a bit as she put her hand to my forehead. " Strange... It was impossible to touch last night... Are you feeling alright?" I nodded. Aleena walked in, yawning. " Amy, breakfast is ready. Have you..." She trailed off as she saw me standing up. " Well, someone certainly seems well now. How are you feeling?" " Aside from feeling quite aggrivated at what went on over the past week, I feel fine." Fangor smiled. " I expected it to end soon. The closer it gets to ending, he hotter the head gets, and the more the muscles hurt when you move." " Can I eat some real food now?" I said, feeling hungry. Amy nodded, then held up a hand. " After we change you." " WHAT!" Amy giggled. " Just kidding! I'll call your mom and let her know you need a new set of clothes. I'll have to think up a lie to keep her from coming, though." I nodded and climbed out of the crib, falling 5 feet to the floor and landing softly, almost on my tails. " Well, at least these diapers are good for something." I said as I got up. Aleena went downstairs to get breakfast ready. Fangor dismantled the crib and stored it out of the way. He then jumped out the window to watch out for my parents as Amy grabbed my cell phone. I walked out of my room and went downstairs, already smelling breakfast.

When I got to the bottom of the stairs I saw Sonic, Sally, and Tikal talking to a couple of people that seemed to fit the description of Aleena's parents. Her mother turned as I reached the bottom of the stairs, smiled, and picked me up, running her fingers through the fur on my head while she was speaking incoherently. " I'm sorry, ma'am, but I do not understand the language you are speaking." I said. She shrieked and dropped me, jumping back as she did so. I landed with a soft thud, once again not on my feet and narrowly avoiding my tails. " He talks! How could someone THAT young already be able to talk!" I sighed. " I'm 6 years old, ma'am." " Nonsense! You MUST be at most 2 years old! I mean, you're so small! What am I doing! I'm talking to someone that isn't-" I walked into the kitchen, not wanting to listen to her pointless hysterics. " Edgar came in your room last night." Aleena said as I sat down at the table. I sighed. " Remind me to knock some sense into him next time we meet, alright?" I said, seriously. She giggled. " We're going on a date tonight." I raised an eyebrow. " Wearing this?" I gestured towards myself. She smiled. " Of course not! What about your tuxedo?" I shook my head. " Stolen, remember?" She slapped her forehead. " Sorry. I forgot. I guess we could always have a picnic under the Tree of the Hero instead." I nodded. " That would work, I think. Have they caught the guy that lacerated me, yet?" She shook her head. " I haven't heard about him since we stopped taking you outside. We've had to leave the windows open to compensate." I nodded. Aleena went over the stove and shoveled pancakes onto several plates and placed them on the table. She then grabbed the syrup out of the cabinet and drowned the pancakes in them. She walked over to the sink and started washing the silverware, one fork and one knife for each person. " BREAKFAST IS READY!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. Not surprisingly, Sonic and Shadow were the first to show up, taking seats opposite from one another and hovering their hand above their own fork like a person about to do a shoot-out would hover their hand over their gun, both glaring at the other. Soon everyone else except Amy and Fangor came, all taking seats wherever they could find them. " Green Lightning, could you go get Amy please?" Aleena's mom put a hand on my shoulder as I walked by. " You can't mean THIS is the Green Lightning we've been hearing about... Is it?" " Yes it is, mom." I was turned around to face her mom. She started looking me over, turning me around, feeling my fur, gazing into my eyes. " But he's so young! Are his parents okay with this?" " Yes, mom." Her mom turned me around to face her. " You had best be EXTRA careful with my daughter, understand? If she comes home crying becuase of you, I will hunt you down and skin you alive. Is that CLEAR?" I nodded. " You may go." Just when I was about to leave Amy walked in. " Green Lightning? Your parents are coming. They dragged the truth out of me and are almost-" The front door opened and in stepped my mom and dad, both dressed casually instead of in their mage council robes. "- here." Amy finished.

Dad looked quite angry with both fists clenched. " Where is this fiend who dares bring harm to my son! I'll rip him apart if I ever get my hands on him!" " Calm down, sweetheart! He's alright! Let's at least be thankful for that!" I looked at my mom, speachless. " Yes, dear. Mommy has accepted the fact that she can't protect you every waking moment of your life. Just please try to be careful, alright sweety?" She looked down at me and turned a confused look on Amy. " Umm... Amy? Be a dear and fetch his new clothes from the car. They should be in a big box with his name on it." Amy nodded, but was stopped by Aleena. " Not until everyone has had breakfast. SIT DOWN." Amy went to the opposite end of the table and sat next to Sonic while my mom picked me up and sat me in the seat I had sat in before I was going to get Amy." Mom! I can walk just fine!" " Sorry, sweety. I'll try to remember next time." The meal went well, if you ignored the fact that in the middle of it Sonic and Shadow jumped onto the table and started fighting each other because one wanted to prove to the other he was not the faker. It was pretty pointless to me. After we finished, I was about to get up when seven moongates opened at all sides of the table. Out stepped 7 members of the Black Robe gang, all smirking and glaring at me. Before I could react, one that was behind me grabbed both my hands in one of his and hoisted me into the air, turning me around to face his smirking evil face. " Well, well, well. The prince turns out to be just a baby after all. Are you scared, boy?" He said, getting a laugh out of the other members. My father was seething with rage, but didn't dare attack because he was afraid he would hit me. " I am not afraid of you. I never have been, nor will I ever be." They laughed again. " You've got guts, boy. Let's see what they look like, shall we?" He smiled darkly as he placed his free hand on my stomach. I felt the heat of a fireball spell being prepared, enough power in it to blow a hole through me. I closed my eyes tight and braced myself to be hit, but it never came because he had been hit by Aleena's staff. I felt myself fall to the ground, but my body turned itself upside down and I wound up landing on a hand, perfectly balanced. I opened my eyes and noticed I was facing the ground, my hand outstretched to support my weight. I threw my weight backwards, allowing myself to stand. I looked around, and the Black Robe gang was gone. The fur covering my stomach was a bit warmer than usual. Other than that, I was alright. " Glad that's over..." I said. " Can I go get my clothes on now?" " Wait in your room, dear. Amy will bring them up shortly. I trust you behaved while I was gone?" I hung my head. " No ma'am. I didn't stay in the carriage when we went for a walk. I jumped out because a black hooded man showed up and tried to kill the girls. I couldn't help myself. I am sorry." She was silent for a few minutes, letting my words sink in. Then she sighed. My dad looked quite angry. " While your actions were admirable, you disobeyed Amy's instructions as well as the doctors orders. I appreciate you saving the girls, but you still disobeyed Amy. You're grounded for a week. You are not to leave this house. Understand?" I nodded. " You are dismissed. Maybe next time you will do what you are told rather than go against the instructions given to you." I walked into the living room and started up my tails. " No flying in the house, young man." My mom said from the kitchen door. I stopped and walked the rest of the way to my room.

I walked in and closed the door behind me, then walked over to my bed and jumped onto it, turning around to sit on the edge and wait. About 30 minutes later Amy came in carrying a green robe, along with a green shirt and shorts exactly like the ones I had been wearing. She walked over and dropped them on me, giggling as I shook them off. " I'll be downstairs if you need me. Your mom and dad will be waiting as well to see how you look in your new robe. And don't try going out the window. Your dad has a paralysis field there, whatever that is. Well, I'd best leave you so you can get dressed." With that she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. I slipped off my shoes and pulled my shorts on, glad to finally be wearing something familiar. I pulled on my shirt and put my shoes back on. Lastly I picked up my robe and slipped it on, glad of it's warmth. I grabbed my amulets off my nightstand and slipped them on before hopping off the bed. I walked out of my room and downstairs, where everyone was standing ther, waiting on me. " You look great, son. How does it feel?" I smiled. " Much better than the atire I had been wearing. That was rather embarassing, wearing nothing but shoes, socks, and a diaper for a week..." I shuddered, not wanting to remember that. My dad laughed. " Well, we'll make sure the doctors have some clothing for you as well next time that happens. And also, next time it does happen, DO NOT refuse to drink from a bottle when it is offered. The doctor ordered for you to move as little as neccessary and said you could not eat solid foods. Next time you try to avoid it, your mother will come here personally. I don't need to explain how bad that would be." I nodded. " Now your mother and I, along with Aleena's parents, will be leaving. We are going to go have dinner together and get to know each other better. You are to STAY INSIDE, whether you like it or not. Disobey this, and the consequences will be QUITE severe. Understood?" I nodded and they left, looking back at me as if reminding me again. Sonic, Shadow, Tikal, Rotor, Bunny, Antonie, Sally, and Knuckles left soon afterwards, leaving just Amy, Aleena, and myself. Fangor hadn't even joined us at dinner, saying he was heading to his house to argue with his dad a bit more on the subject of love.

I went upstairs and laid down on my bed, staring at the ceiling. " Sooo bored..." I complained after about 5 minutes. _I've read all the books I have... I can't go outside... Ugh..._ Someone knocked on my bedroom door, snapping me out of my thoughts. " Come in." I said, somewhat glumly. Aleena walked in and sat down at the foot of my bed, looking at me concernedly. " Something wrong?" She asked. I sighed. " Just bored, is all. I really blew it, didn't I?" She giggled. " Yup. Now you're stuck here for a week. I guess you should have listened to Amy and the doctor, huh?" I nodded and rolled over, facing the window and accidentaly tangling myself up in my robe. I tugged at the sleeves, pulling my arms out of them and slid it off, hanging it on my coatrack afterwards. " Guess our picnic is canceled, huh?" I nodded. " Well, what do you want to do?" I shrugged. " I do not know. I have already read all the books I have. That, plus the fact that I can't leave the house." I flopped down on my bed again, arms behind my head and legs stretched out. " Well, what about your computer?" " What about it?" " Well, doesn't it have some games on it?" I sat up and stared at her, confused. " What is a game?" She looked shocked, but shook it off. " Nevermind... Well, we could always play house..." " What do you mean?" She crawled over to me and whispered in my ear. I immediately dove under the covers. " Nuh-uh! Not happening!" She giggled. " Alright. Well, if you need me, I'll be here all week." I poked my head out from under the covers. " All week!" She nodded. " My parents are going with yours to take a look at your castle and are taking my little brother with them. I hate staying alone, so I'll be over here till they get back. Amy's going shopping today, so we'll be here by ourselves for a few hours. I'm thinking about inviting our friends over so we can have some company. Is this alright with you?" I nodded. " As long as they don't break anything." She nodded and headed downstairs, leaving me with nothing to do. I sighed. " This is going to be a looong week..." I crawled up to my pillows and laid down, falling asleep. Just as I was about to lose myself in a dream, I heard a knock at my door. " Come in." I said, slightly annoyed at the timing. The door opened and in came Esna and Leadfoot, followed by Angel carrying Tiffany, and Becca chatting idly with Aleena. I rolled over and pulled the covers up to my chin. I heard Leadfoot let out a low whistle. " Sheesh! I thought your room at the academy was luxurious, Aleena, but this is practically overkill! His bed is way too big and he's got the latest computer and cell phone as well! I'm jealous!" Aleena giggled as footsteps approached the head of the bed. " Is he still sick, Aleena?" Esna asked, turning me over and laying a hand on my forehead. I smiled. " No, ma'am. But I'm grounded for my actions while I was sick." Esna looked confused. Aleena smirked. " He jumped out of the carriage to save us, even though he had been told by Amy that the doctor had ordered for him to move as little as neccessary." Leadfoot looked slightly shocked. " He was in a carriage? I guess he really was sick then... Well, glad you're feeling better. And I'm sorry you're grounded, but you WERE ordered to move as little as neccessary." I nodded. Angel looked around, then looked straight at me. " Umm... You wouldn't happen to still have that crib around, would you? Tiffany fell asleep on the way over." I pointed to a box in the corner. Angel pointed at my cell phone. " Mind if I ask Fangor to come over and set it up?" I shrugged. " Go ahead." She grabbed it off my desk and began dialing. A few minutes later a moongate opened in the room, allowing Fangor to step into there without having to take a long walk accross the town to get here. He set up the crib in about 3 seconds, causing several jaws to drop. Angel laid Tiffany down in the crib and covered her up, shoving a stuffed animal she had with her under her arm. Fangor left, stating that his father was almost as stubborn as he was.

We all walked downstairs, closing the door quietly after the last person walked out. " Anyone want to go swimming?" Amy asked when we reached the bottom of the stairs. I raised an eyebrow. " I'm grounded, remember?" She smiled. " I found an indoor swimming pool here yesterday. It's pretty big." I shrugged. " I've never swam before, but I'll probably figure it out once I get in the water." She motioned for us to follow. We walked to the back of the living room, where I had never been before, and turned down a long hallway. After about 5 minutes of walking, we came to a giant hollow area with a pool at it's center. With the pool was a very tall diving board, about 200 feet above the water's surface. A curtain was in the corner, obviously for changing behind. " Guess we're going to have to change one at a time..." Amy said, handing all of us something to wear in the water so our current clothes wouldn't get wet. I decided to go last, so I could think on how swimming was going to work. Eventually I was called to go change while everyone else was standing outside, either in swimming shorts or a bathing suit. I walked over and pulled back the curtains. Amy turned to Aleena. " Remember, Aleena. No peeking." Aleena moaned fakely. " Aww! But that ruins the fun!" They both giggled. I pulled the curtains aside, closing me in. I pulled off my standard clothes, folding all but the diaper and shoes and putting them neatly in a corner, with the diaper and shoes on top. I slipped on the swimming shorts Amy had given me, featuring drawings of trees all over them. I pulled back the curtains and stepped out. " All right. I'm ready now." Aleena ran and jumped in the water, causing the side to get soaked. Esna, Angel, Becca, and Amy followed. Leadfoot climed up to the diving board and jumped off yelling " Cannon ball!" He landed in the center and got all the girls soaked. They all turned towards me. I walked over to the steps leading into the pool and started walking down them. Instead of sinking, like I expected, my neck and above stayed above water without any effort. I stood still, floating there, wondering why I wasn't sinking. Aleena broke me from my thoughts by calling me over. _Well, here goes something..._ I thought. I leaned forward, laying down in the water, and began spinning my tails. I wound up blowing past the girls, stopping just 5 feet from them. They all clapped just as another 'cannon ball' ensued, drenching all of us. All of the girls except Aleena started splashing him while he splashed him back. Aleena dove under water and I could hear her moving around to behind me. I spun my tails again and sped to the opposite end of the pool, stopping before I hit the edge. I turned around, smiling. " You're going to have to do better than that, Aleena!" I yelled. If I had been paying more attention, I would have noticed that she had grabbed my foot before I swam off. I felt her pull my shorts down, and, as I pulled them back up, she surfaced and dunked me under the water. I closed my eyes as my head was shoved under, then turned around after I surfaced. I wiped away the water that was on the edge of my eyelids and saw that Aleena was gone. I stood still, feeling for her presence. Suddenly I was grabbed from behind and turned around, coming face to face with Aleena. " Umm... Hi?" I said. She smiled. " I knew there had to be something you could do that's fun!" She said. I smirked. " To me, anything's more fun than what I went through last week!" She giggled. I leaned back, laying down in the water with my hands behind my head. " Wow! You can float pretty easily!" I smiled. " This is my first time swimming. Kind of strange, isn't it?" " Not as strange as the look on your face." I went back to a standing position. " What look?" I said, looking around for her. Someone surfaced behind me, turned me around, and I came face to face with Aleena. She quickly brought me close and kissed me on the lips. I felt my cheeks flush very red as she did so, my eyes open wide, my heart pounding... She broke the kiss and backed away about a foot, leaving me still stunned. " That look." She said, smiling. I shook my head. " You're going to pay for that!" I said, laughing a bit as I dove under with my tails spinning, getting everyone soaked. I went almost out of their reach before Leadfoot grabbed my tails and yanked me above the water. " Careful now. We could force you into playing house next time you do that." He said as he dropped me, smirking. " You would have to catch me first. " I said.

I leaned back, relaxing. Leadfoot made a dive for me. " Got you!" He yelled. I spun my tails and sped away, causing him to catch water instead. I stopped about 15 feet from him and sped to the bottom of the pool, 50 feet away. I landed on my feet, smirking as Leadfoot looked around the surface trying to find me. I felt strange.. I opened my mouth and found I was able to breathe the water as though it was air. I smirked and waited on the bottom of the pool, waiting for him to notice me. He finally looked down and his mouth dropped open. I sped back up out of the crystal clear water and flew into the air, doing a sumersault as I came back down in a nose dive. Just before I hit the water I was caught by my tails. " Gotcha!" Leadfoot said, laughing while the girls giggled. I dangled there, smiling. " You've got me, but I've also got you." He took on a look of confusion as I flipped over, sending him underwater and making him release my tails. I landed with a very small splash compared to the large one from him being thrown underwater. He swam to the surface and spit out the water that he had in his mouth from opening it to yell. A moongate opened near the pool and Fangor stepped out of it. " You're quite graceful at swimming, Green Lightning." I smiled. Fangor looked at his watch. " Isn't it about time for lunch?" Amy smiled. " Alright, everyone out of the pool and dry off. And I don't mean shake dry either, Leadfoot." Esna giggled as he moaned.

I swam over to the edge and tried to climb out, but the side was too high for my legs to reach. I gave up on that and swam to the stairs, using them to exit the pool. Amy handed us towels and we quickly dried ourselves off. " Now, since Green Lightning was the last to get changed, he will be the first to put his normal clothes back on." I walked behind the curtain and got changed back, carrying my wadded up swim shorts in one hand. Soon the wet swimming gear was in the washer and everyone was in the kitchen, waiting for lunch to be served. Angel slapped her forehead about 3 minutes after arriving. " Shoot! I forgot about Tiffany!" She turned to me. " Could you help me get her up please?" " Why me?" She raised her eyebrows. " Two reasons. One, I don't have the key to your room. Second, you're close to her age and she might wake up faster if you're the one that tries to get her up." I shrugged. We left the kitchen and walked up the stairs to my room. When we got there I could hear crying coming from inside the room. I quickly cast the magic unlock spell on the door, allowing us entrance. We walked in and we saw Tiffany lying on her side, crying. Angel sighed. " Do you know where Amy keeps the changing table?" I nodded with my cheeks turning red. " I'd rather forget... It's in the closet." Angel walked over to the closet and brought out a large table with criss-crossing legs. " Could you bring Tiffany over here while I get the stuff ready?" I shrugged. " Alright." I walked over to the crib and undid the latches, allowing me to slide the wall of it down. " How long does she usualy cry?" Angel shrugged. " Usually for about 30 minutes every time she wakes up. I don't understand why, though." I glanced at her again. " Why is she still in diapers?" She shook her head. " The doctors say the nerves for the muscles controlling her bladder are permanently paralyzed. It's a pain in the neck having to drag out the changing table every time she wakes up, so we just leave ours out." I nodded and picked Tiffany up out of the crib, handing her to Angel who had just finished putting everything up on the table. She finished changing her, but she was still crying. " I'm going to try something." I said. I reached out and put my hand on her forehead, closing my eyes in concentration. Suddenly my hand was consumed by a dark energy. I was thrown back, nearly hitting the wall when I landed. I clutched my hand, clenching my teeth in pain. " Something's wrong..." I said. " Correct." Fangor said from the door. He walked over to her and placed his hand on her forehead, grunting in pain as the same dark energy enveloped his hand. Angel turned to me. " What is he doing?" " He's checking her memories. One of them is being altered by an outside source, so he's going to try to fix it with the Kintushian's memory modifier ability." I said, still rubbing my hand that was now numb. About 10 minutes later, the dark energy disapeared and Tiffany stopped crying. " Sorry I had to put you through that, Tiffany. It was neccessary in order to be able to repair the memory." She turned around and looked at Angel, looking a little embarrassed. " Umm... sissy? I had an accident again." Angel sighed and hung her head. " What have I done to deserve this? Please tell Aleena we'll be down in a few." I nodded and walked downstairs with Fangor right behind me. " He's out there... somewhere." Fangor said. " Huh?" I replied. He didn't respond, so I dropped the subject. We walked into the kitchen and Aleena pointed her wooden spoon at me. " What took you so long? Was Tiffany clinging to your leg, begging for you to take her in as an apprentice?" I shook my head. " We ran into a problem, but Fangor took care of it. Angel says she'll be down in a few minutes with Tiffany." Aleena nodded. " The pudding's almost ready. Sit down. You too, Fangor." I sat down at the head of the table, where I usually sat. Fangor took a seat at the far end of the table and a few minutes later Angel walked in with Tiffany in tow. They both took seats in the middle of the table, right next to each other. Aleena passed out a bowl to each of us, filled with a yellowish semi-liquid substance. " What is this?" I asked. Aleena smiled. " Vanilla pudding. It's good, so don't waste it!" She handed each of us a spoon and we started eating lunch.

It went well, except Tiffany got a little too eager and started drinking the stuff. " Slow down, Tiffany! You're making a mess!" Angel scolded. She was right... It was all over Tiffany and all over the floor. " What is in pudding anyways?" Aleena handed her the box. " Geez! WAY too much sugar!" On the word sugar Fangor's eyes widened in shock. He opened a moongate behind him and ran through it. " What's wrong with him?" Aleena asked, staring at where he had been. " Watch..." I said, pointing out the window. A few seconds after everyone turned around a pillar of lightning, 3 miles in diameter, shot up about 50 miles away, lasting only a few seconds, but I knew who had caused it. " What was that?" Tiffany said, clinging to Angel. " It was Fangor. Kintushians are allergic to sugar in that they need to immediately get rid of the energy it provides them because they can't handle the amount of it." Aleena shrugged. " At least he finished all of it." Angel peeled Tiffany off of her. " Where are your bathtubs Tomias?" I shrugged. " I do not know. I have not had to use them as of yet." Amy got up and gestured for her to follow. Becca sighed and stretched. " What do we do now? Watch TV?" " We do not have one." Becca looked surprised. " Ick... That makes your family the only one in town without one! Well, besides Fangor anyways." I shrugged. " We do not need one. We do well enough on our own." " Got any games on your computer?" I shook my head. " Sheesh... What do you do for fun around here?" I shrugged. " I've never had to stay in the house before. Usually I would go outside and run around for a bit, but I am grounded now, so that is out of the question." " I feel sorry for ya." I shrugged. " I disobeyed, and now I am being punished for it. It was a good deed, but still, I disobeyed. I brought it on myself." I finished what pudding was left in my bowl, getting up from the table after I was done so I could go wash it.

I walked over to the sink and had the bowl and spoon taken from me from above. " I'll wash them. You go get a bath." I looked up at her. " Umm... Why? I do not need one." She looked annoyed. " Because you haven't had one and we're having a romantic dinner afterwards. I'm getting a bath as well. I'm sure the towels are done drying by now." Becca stood up and washed her bowl and spoon. " I'll be asleep upstairs if anyone needs me." " Alright. " Aleena said. She turned around and washed my bowl and spoon as I turned to leave. I felt my shoulder get grabbed as she dragged me once again to the back of the living room and down a different hallway now. Amy was standing there, holding a towel and change of clothes. I raised an eyebrow. " Sorry. I couldn't help but overhear. There's soap and shampoo in there already. The water's hot, so be careful getting in. I'll be in the living room if you need me." She handed me the clothes and left. Aleena shoved me in and closed the door. " You'll be wearing your new tuxedo tonight. Take your time." I shook my head and stacked the clothes neatly on the floor, away from the bathtub. I took off my shoes and placed them nearby. I took off everything else and placed it in a seperate pile from what I was going to wear afterwards. I climbed up on the side of the tub and stepped in slowly, the water being a bit on the hot side. After I was in all the way I relaxed and leaned back, enjoying the warmth. I closed my eyes, allowing the warmth to sink in. I must have dosed off, because when I opened my eyes Amy was there, tapping her foot. " You came in here to wash, not to sleep!" She said, agitated a bit. I felt my cheeks flush red. " AMY! GET OUT OF HERE!" I said, sinking further into the tub. She glared at me then walked out, yelling to Aleena that I had fallen asleep. I sighed. I looked around for a bar of soap and found it sitting in a corner on the rim of the tub. I reached for it and lathered my hands, replacing the soap in the corner. I rubbed it all over my fur, rinsing my hands off in the water afterwards. Then I dunked myself, allowing the water to wash the rest off. I brushed the water out of my eyes and looked around for the shampoo. I found a large bottle of it behind me. I opened it up and sniffed. _Autumn rose... Aleena's favorite..._ I thought to myself as I lathered my hands and rubbed it through the fur on my head. I once again dunked myself, allowing it to rinse out. I felt around under the murky water and pulled the plug on the tub. I stepped out and was bitterly cold from wet fur combining with the air outside the tub. I shivered as I dried myself off with the towel that had been made for adults, so it wound up with some dry bits when I was done. I slipped on my new tuxedo, tucking in the shirt between my pants and diaper. _Wonder what she meant by romantic dinner..._ I thought to myself as I combed the fur on my head and tail, making it lay down rather than stick up randomly. I wanted to make Aleena happy, so I sprayed on a bottle of what they called 'cologne'. It smelt strange to me, but I hardly cared. _If Aleena likes it, it is fine by me._ I looked at myself in the mirror and noticed three bangs still sticking up. I took out my comb again and tried to get them to stay down, but without success. I shrugged my shoulders and let them be. I slipped my shoes on and walked out, turning off the light as I left.

Amy smiled as I walked into the living room. " You look so cute wearing that!" She said. I smiled and shrugged. Then her face turned serious. " Hey, have you two ever thought about getting married?" " MARRIED!" I asked, shocked. Aleena shook her head. " We're not ready yet. Besides, we haven't been on that many dates yet. So, the answer would be no right now." I sighed with relief. I was not ready either. " Besides, I do not think we are old enough." I said. Amy thought for a second. " I'll ask Fangor if he knows what the requirements for marriage are here. You two enjoy your dinner." We nodded as she left to find Fangor. " Well, shall we?" Aleena inquired, offering me her hand. I smiled and took it in my own. We walked towards the kitchen, passing Becca who stopped reading her book and headed upstairs, giggling. We took seats at a table that was much smaller than the normal dining table. It only seated four and had a lit candlebra in the middle. No other lights were on. Aleena put a blindfold on me and got something off the counter. I heard the clang of metal as she set them on the table. " You can remove the blindfold now, Tomias." I reached behind my head and undid the knot, removing the blindfold and setting it aside. I looked at the food that had been set in front of me. It was a large steak accompanied by a salad and bits of parsley. It smelled great. " Dig in, but please observe proper ettiquette like you usually do." I nodded. The meal lasted long. We discussed much of what could possibly happen on our first mission as Freedom Fighters in-training, our views on what the weather for tommorrow was going to be like, and other such things. I felt tired afterwards. " I guess I will turn in for the night." I paused to yawn. Aleena smiled and nodded. " Good night. I'll be up in a few minutes. I've got to change into my nightgown. I'll be in your parents' bedroom if you need me." I walked out and started heading upstairs, only to be have my tails grabbed from behind, causing me to trip and fall forward. " What was that for?" I asked, standing up and turning around. " You are not going to wear your tuxedo to bed. Change into your normal clothes first. They should be out of the dryer by now." I blushed and nodded, heading into the laundry room off the other end of the kitchen. I grabbed my clothes that were lying on the floor, neatly folded in one pile. I walked through the living room and into a bathroom and got changed, leaving my tuxedo neatly folded on the floor. I left and walked through the living room, noticing Becca reading her book again, wearing an ill-desguised smirk. I walked past and went upstairs where Angel was just putting Tiffany in the crib. She turned as I opened the door, looking quite tired. " Hi Tomias." I waved. " I am turning in for the night." I said, stretching and yawning. She nodded. " We'll be sleeping in your parents' bedroom. Tiffany will be in here, if that's alright with you." I nodded and walked towards my bed. " Well, good night Tomias. Good night Tiffany." Tiffany waved sleepily from the crib, pulling the covers tight around her afterwards. " Good night sis. Good night Tomias." I nodded and pulled my covers over me. " Good night you two." I yawned and fell asleep.

**Fangor's POV**

I was in my room, pitch-black by the looks of it. I couldn't tell because my eyes did not function at night. Anyways, I was sitting on my bed when I heard a knock at my bedroom door. " State your name and business." I said, somewhat coldly because people usually didn't go out this late at night. " It's me, Tomias's father. I want to talk to you about something important, if you have the time. I could come back tommorrow if you're about to go to sleep." I sighed. " Come in, but don't bother looking for a light switch. There isn't one in here." I heard the door open and footsteps approached. " It's about my son... I don't know why, but I feel awful about grounding him for trying to protect the girls... Do you think I was too hard on him?" I shrugged. " I don't think you should be asking me. I don't know anything about kids. Go ask Amy or Sally... One of them might have your answer." " Thank you... I will do that." He left, closing the door behind him. I sat there and waited for dawn...

**Green Lightning's POV**

I was shaken awake in the middle of the night, in the middle of dreaming about nothing in particular. I stretched and yawned. " Do you have any idea what time it is?" I said, turning around and coming face-to-face with my dad. I shook my head. " What are you doing here? I thought you were getting to know Aleena's parents?" He looked down and shook his head, frowning. " I snuck out. I've been thinking... I think I kinda over reacted when Aleena told me what happened when you went to the park that day... I wasn't thinking straight. I let my anger cloud my thoughts and punished you because of it. I'm sorry. You're no longer grounded, but next time, please listen to Amy or whoever is in charge of you, okay?" His eyes started welling up with tears. " We don't want to lose you again." He rested his head on my shoulder, sobbing. _Well, what do you know? My dad has a soft spot after all..._ " I forgive you, dad. May I get some sleep now?" I yawned. " I am really tired." He wiped his eyes and nodded, walking out of the room, but pausing at the door. " First of next month, I'm taking you with me to the castle to see how well you rule in a month. I will leave you alone there, unsupervised by myself and your mother. Rule as you see fit and we will ask the people what they think of you when we come back." With that he left, closing the door behind him. _Great... Just when things were starting to turn around, I have that burden placed upon me... I hope he changes his mind..._ I pulled the covers back to my chin and fell asleep, dreading what would happen on August the 1st.

**July 11**

I woke up a little drowsy, not having slept well last night because I kept dreaming about being forced to take the throne... _A nightmare come true... Ugh..._ I folded back the covers and hopped out of bed, being careful not to wake Tiffany. I slowly opened the door, keeping the sound to a minimum. I walked downstairs and into the foyer, where a note awaited me on the front door. I stood back and looked up to read it:

**Tomias:**

**Please take care of Tiffany while we are at the mall. She needs to get to the academy of magic by 7. I know it's early in the morning to do this, but when girls get the craving for shopping... Well, I don't think you would understand it. Don't worry about changing her. The staff at the school can take care of that. Have fun and enjoy yourself today.**

**-Angel**

_What time is it?..._ I glanced down at my watch. 3:00 AM it read. _Ick! No wonder I woke up tired!_ I had been woken up at midnight after a three hour sleep and spent thirty minutes with my dad. That meant I had only obtained 5 and a half hours of sleep last night. I walked into the living room and sat down in one of the e-z chairs, right next to a baby monitor that had just been added yesterday. I checked it to make sure it was on, then I leaned back in the chair. _Might as well try to catch up on my sleep while I wait for Tiffany to..._ Suddenly I heard a very loud and terrified scream ensue from the baby monitor. _Wake up._ I jumped out of the chair and ran up the stairs, the screaming dying down very slowly. I walked into my room and saw a very hideous creature pinning Tiffany to a wall, just tossing away one of her socks and reaching for her hairband. Her fur was quite pale from terror, and she was just staring at the creature, her mouth open in an endless, inaudible scream. _ A dark father... A creature that prays on the souls and bodies of the inoccents... Feeding off of their fear while they remove all clothing before devouring their bodies..._ It placed it's clawed hand on her hairband, smiling evily as it took pleasure in her fear. I stepped forward, yelling, " Put her down, vile creature of Lucifer! I shalt slay thee for such vile acts!" It turned towards me, still grinning, and snapped it's fingers. I tried to walk forward, but tripped because zombies and skeletons were sprouting from the ground. Two zombies had each grabbed on of my feet, preventing me from moving further. The creature had just finished removing her hairband, tossing it aside and moving on to one of her gloves. I had little time left. _Come on... I need something!_ I reached for my neck, as I always had when I was in trouble. I looked down and saw that both my amulets were now glowing. _Maybe the bow will be of use?_ I had no time to think on it. The creature was moving on to her other glove now. I toutched the amulet with my left hand, closing my eyes and calling out to it. " If ever you were needed, now is the time! Reveal yourself to me, BOW OF JUSTICE!" Immediately a bright white bow appeared in front of me, engraved with the same emblem on Fangor's shirt: A sword behind a shield. A quiver appeared strapped to my back, full of arrows that glowed a radiant blue. _The arrows of order... Now to slay this daemon!_ I grabbed the bow with my right hand, knocked an arrow to it with my left, pulled back the bowstring, _May my love for my friend guide this arrow to ensure her safety..._ the arrow glowed a bright white as I released the string, sending it directly into the heart of the monster just as it was reaching for her shirt. Immediately it screamed in anguish as it disappeared, taking it's minions with it. Tiffany dropped to the floor, huddled in a ball in terror. I walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. She immediately rose to her knees and hugged me, hanging on for dear life, sobbing enough to put the memorial we had to shame. " I... I... I was so scared, Tomias!" More sobbing. " I thought I was going to die! Thank... Thank you for saving me!" She burried her head in my shoulder, not wanting to let go. " It's alright, Tiffany. You are safe now." She sniffled and backed away, nodding. " What was it? And what did it want?" I shook my head glumly. " It was a dark father. It came for your body and soul. It takes enjoyment in the fear of it's victims before devouring them. However, it cannot eat clothing. That is why it was taking so long and having such pleasure doing so... Foul creatures not of this world. Creatures that guard the very gates of hell, it is said." She nodded, slowly regaining herself. " I felt cold... Alone... Like I would never feel alive again..." I nodded. " Are you feeling better now?" She sniffled. " Uh-huh." I looked over towards where the crib had been, only to find it lying there in peices, a mere pile of splinters. " Well, your sister said you had to get to the academy of magic by 7 this morning. Are you ready to go?" She nodded. " Let me get my robe first." She walked over to the closet and pulled out a light blue robe, the robe of an apprentice. She held it out to me. " What am I to do with it?" She smiled a little, her cheeks turning red. " Could you put it on me please? I still don't know how to dress myself." I sighed. " Raise your arms, please." She lifted her arms into the air, smiling. I slid one arm into a sleeve, then the other. I walked around to in front of her and pulled the front of the robe together, tying it with it's sash to keep it that way. I picked up her gloves, socks, and shoes off the floor and put them back on for her. " Now that is done. Anything else before we leave?" She went into the closet and came out wearing a backpack. " I'm ready now. Can we go now, Master Tomias?" I shook my head in disbelief. " Since when-" She nodded. " You are a master, and it is tought that we should call mages by title and then first or last name, depending on how old and powerful they are. You are only 6 and are a master, therefore you are called Master Tomias." I shook my head. " Please just stick with Tomias. I care not for titles." She nodded. " Okay, Tomias! I'm ready to go!" She held out her hand and I took it in mine, even though her's was a bit larger. We walked downstairs, leaving the house after leaving a note about the fight in the bedroom so no one would wonder what happened.

About thirty mintes of traveling through and out of the great forest and Knothole, we reached the academy of magic, well hidden to all but those who know the way there. I walked through the entrance and into the courtyard, where some apprentices were already milling about, shyly approaching one another before begining communication. Tiffany huddled close to me, her cheeks red. " Do you know how awkward this looks, Tiffany? You're taller than I am, and I appear to be younger than you are, when in fact I am older. Please keep yourself together." She smiled and backed away a bit. " Sorry, Tomias. I'm not quite popular with some of the kids here..." I nodded. " It's the double-tail thing, isn't it?" She gasped and backed away a bit. " How do you know?" I smiled. " I saw the tip of it poking above your shorts as I was tying the sash. Having two tails is nothing to be ashamed of, Tiffany. I have two tails as well, in case you haven't noticed." She looked me over, walking around me and stopping when she got to the back. She knelt down and pulled on first one, then the other, getting a yelp of pain out of me with each attempt to find one to be false. " Wow! You really do! And i thought only my sisters, Aleena, and myself had them!" I nodded. " They're here to stay, and nothing to hide, Tiffany. Don't listen to what the other kids say... Just be yourself. They are most likely just jealous of you." She smiled and gave me a quick hug. " Thank you!" Just then a female kitsune , about age 28 and wearing a green robe, walked up to us, both her tails swishing with each step. " Greetings, Tiffany! Welcome back to the academy! I trust you'll do better this year." She turned to me. " And why are you not in your robe, umm... What is your name?" I slipped on my green robe, a symbol of being a master. " I am Tomias Dimitri, also known as Green Lightning." She smiled. " Glad to have you back, Master Tomias. Will you be staying with us for a while? Or are you just here to drop off Tiffany?" Tiffany gave her a confused look. " How come you treat him like an adult instead of a baby? Almost everyone else does." The female smiled. " Because he has proven himself to us that he is able to handle himself and is most certainly far more mature than people try to give him credit for. That, plus he can blow me away with a single spell if I insulted him the wrong way. " I blushed. " Come now, you expect me to have such short temper? You know me better than that, Anna!" She laughed a bit. " I know, I know. Just pointing out that you are the most powerful mage here, even Nider could not hold a candle to your power. Yes, he is still headmaster. Even after one thousand years-" I was shocked. " You mean the academy was never invaded?" She shook her head. " Robotnik couldn't find it if his big egg-shaped ego fell into it. Although, after the castle fell, we had our ages sealed somehow. None of us forgot you, however. And, yes, we have heard about what happened to you. Aleena told us so that we wouldn't worry. She cares alot about you, Master Tomias. Well, I'll let you be on your way." She bowed low and turned to Tiffany. " As for you, I believe you are in need of a diaper change?" Tiffany blushed and nodded, accepting the hand that was offered to her. " I'll see you later when sissy brings me home, Tomias! And thanks again for saving me!" I waved as she left. I walked up to a wall, out of the way, and marked a rune there for later use. I put it in my runebook, deep in my backpack just as some kids were approaching me, all experts. " Hey, two-tail. How's your mutant momma?" The one that appeared to be the leader said, getting a laugh out of the others. I turned around, pulling my hood down and smiled at the fox that obviously thought tormenting others for fun was a good deed. I had a lesson to teach him. " I would suggest you stop your comments before you meet a fate worse than detention. Do you even know who I am?" He smirked. " Yeah. You are a kitsune, subspecies: mystic. Aside from that, you just look like a green freak to me." The others laughed even harder at that. I smirked. " I am Tomias Dimitri, also known as Green Lightning. I suggest you watch how you act towards other mages, seeing as how I am a master wizard, while you are an expert mage. Now, if I hear of you tormenting Tiffany, I will deal with you... PERSONALLY." They all stepped back, gulping. " You... You..." They couldn't say it. They were mages. Therefore, they could not lie. They turned and ran.

" Excellent way to handle a situation, Master Tomias." A familiar voice remarked from behind. " Greetings, Nider. Please refrain from the titles... My name alone is fine." " As you wish. Umm... I was wondering if you were doing anything today? I need some assistance on an important matter." I turned around, curious as to why he needed me. " Go on." He scratched the back of his head a bit, then started running his fingers along his beard. The old, gray kitsune's eyes were lit with hope. " Well, one of the teachers sent in a falcon with a note declaring that they were feeling ill this morning and that we should find someone to take their class in their stead for a while. I was wondering, that since you are here, if you could substitute for the day?" He didn't even wait for a reply. He grabbed my arm and dragged me through a moongate, coming out in an ancient, familiar hallway. " This is the same room where you were an apprentice many years ago. Same teacher as well. Oh, by the way? You still hold the record for most trips to the hospital wing. I believe it was 397 trips altogether." I narrowed my eyes. " Do not forget it was the Black Robes that put me there." He chuckled. " How could I? You had been attacked by them so often that we posted " Victim of Black Robe gang" on your status report for each trip." I sighed. He opened the door to the classroom and shoved me inside. Soon afterwards Anna came by with Tiffany, dropping her off at the door before hurrying back to the hospital wing. Tiffany glumly made her way to the back of the class, middle row, second seat from last. Nider pushed me towards the teacher's desk, then turned to address the class. " As you may already know, Mrs. Crigley has fallen ill recently. This means you will be having a substitute for today. I would like to introduce, Master Wizard, Tomias Dimitri. Otherwise known as Green Lightning." He gestured towards me and the class turned and stared, murmuring amongst themselves. Then, like they were all one person, all of them stepped out of their seats and bowed saying " All hail Master Tomias!"... Some were discortious about it, however, a mocking form of a bow. I blushed furiously. " Please do not bow. A simple 'good morning' would suffice." They all returned to their seats.

" Well, I guess I'll be leaving now. Have a nice day with the apprentices, Tomias." I nodded as he left. I walked over to the teacher's desk and picked up a folder labeled, in Mystic writing: Tasks for today (students). I opened it to today's date, being careful not to rip the pages as I thumbed through it. " According to this, the class is to be partnering up today to practice their spells in the grand arena... Well, I guess we had best get started." I reached into the teacher's drawer and pulled out what seemed to be a normal, black top-hat, and placed it on the desk. A few of the students crossed their fingers in anticipation, each hoping to get the partners they wanted. I waited for the talking to die down, wanting their full attention before it was done. " Begin." I stated as soon as they had all become silent. Immediately the blackboard behind me filled with names, all written in Mystic with equal signs seperating names between the same two-member group, and plus signs seperating different groups. " You are partnered-up now, so get with your partner and we will head down to the arena." As soon as they had gotten together, forming a double line at the door, I pulled out my staff and we headed out, traveling about 3 miles outside the academy before we reached the arena. They were all still full of energy when we got there, about an hour later. " Alright, spread out and be careful about where your spells go. You are here to master the art of magic, not to kill each other. Begin." Immediately they all spread out, each readying a spell the moment they got there. About 30 minutes into it, Tiffany ran up to me, crying. I looked up slightly, so I could see her eyes. " What is wrong, Tiffany? Is it a bully?" She nodded and pointed to the same fox that had confronted me in the courtyard, still with his two friends. I pulled out my staff and walked up to them. " Excuse me, but I do not believe you have obtained permission to be here. The apprentices are in the midst of their training and are not to be disturbed. What business do you have here?" They all three smirked as their leader stepped forward. " Look! The freak talks! Bet he's not any tougher than that other freak over there... He's not even as big as she is!" They all three laughed. I shook my head in dismay. " Since you like picking on people that are different from you so much, how about I pick on you? What do you say? A match, right here, in front of all of the apprentices present as well as your two friends." He smirked. " I will gladly kill you, freak. You have one hour to prepare for your funeral." They stalked off towards the other end of the arena. I took the class towards the benches and had them sit down. " Class, I am about to demonstrate how to take care of a bully. Please watch carefully." Tiffany was no longer crying, but leaning forward in anticipation. I noticed that her robe had a hole singed into it on the left side, very close to her heart. _It's about time someone put a stop to this..._ I made my way to the center of the arena where the fox was waiting, clenching and relaxing his fist over and over again.

" Are you ready to die, freak?" I smirked. " Do your worst." He raised his hand above his head and a magic arrow spell shot out of it. I dodged it easily. " Is that the best you can do? Watch this!" I shot back with a magic arrow of my own, grinding him into the ground 50 feet away, just outside the combat area. He lay there, unconcious, with most of his fur singed, but otherwise unharmed. " Let that teach you not to be a bully. Next time, I won't hold back so much." His friends dragged him out of the arena, all looking terriffied. I heard a few cheers come up from behind me. I turned around to see the class jumping up and down, gleefully cheering over my victory. I felt my cheeks turn a light shade of red as Nider walked onto the field, smiling. " Congratulations on your victory, Tomias. Although I have never seen you stick up for yourself, it was nice of you to stick up for Tiffany. I sincerely doubt they will be returning to torment anyone again. Mages learn their lessons quite quickly, as you already know. Well, I have got dentention to attend to, I have to make sure they don't get out of hand." With that, he opened a moongate and stepped through , leaving me with the class again. " Well, I guess we had best return to the classroom. It is almost time for your parents to come and return you home. I would suggest that you get good rest tonight, because I think your teacher will be back tommorrow." They all smiled. " Will we ever be as powerful as you, Tomias?" Tiffany asked. I shrugged my shoulders. " I do not know. Just keep up the hard work and do your best. That is all I ask of you." They all nodded. I opened a moongate to the classroom and allowed the students to enter first. I followed soon afterward, the moongate closing behind me.

Everyone quickly rushed to their seats when we got there, being careful not to run into each other. I took my place at the teacher's desk, my eyes barely rising above it. I decided that it would be a better position for me to be in front of the desk instead, so that I would be seen by the entire class. Upon arriving at my new location, I cleared my throat to get their attention. " Now that I have your attention, I would like to inform all of you that if anyone is caught bullying, even in the least, will be in the same sitiuation as what happened in the arena today. Is that understood class?" They all nodded. " Good. Now your parents should be here soon, so I would suggest you gather your gear and be ready to go home. Have a nice day, class." They all left their seats to get to their lockers throughout the academy.

After greeting several eager parents coming to take their children home, I was finally able to return home myself, with Tiffany in tow. I threw a moongate and we walked through, eager to be at my doorstep once more. I raised my hand for the 'unlock' spell, just as someone on the other side opened the door. I was greeted by Aleena, looking quite happy to see me back home. " Glad to see you back. Ready for lunch?" She asked as we entered. I nodded, eager to get some food in my stomach after meeting such an unintelligent individual. I was quite apalled by the smell coming from the kitchen. " Is something burning in there?" I asked as we approached the kitchen door. She smiled halfheartedly. " Unfortunately, Amy decided to give Sonic another chance at cooking." I smiled. " How bad could it be?" I said. She shook her head in astonishment for some reason. I seemed to have missed the point, but it did not matter at the time. We walked into the kitchen and sat at the table, waiting for lunch to be served. A few minutes later, several black slabs of something were set on each plate. It was just the four of us: Amy, Sonic, Aleena, and myself. I picked up my knife and began attempting to cut into one of the slabs. It was very small, about an inch in diameter, but it was quite tough. I had to apply a great deal of force just to get it cut, even thought it broke more than cut. I stuffed it in my mouth and was met by a very horrible taste. I chewed vigorously before swallowing, quickly grabbing my glass of milk to wash the putrid taste out of my mouth. Amy and Aleena both spit theirs out onto their plates the moment it touched their tounges Sonic actually swallowed his, but I could tell he didn't enjoy it. " Sonic, don't touch the stove anymore. Your cooking is horrible." Sonic looked slightly confused. " What do you mean, Amy? Green Lightning and I liked it." I shook my head. " Sonic, that was the most horrible thing I have ever tasted. I seriously do not want you cooking again." He looked shocked. " But... why did you swallow it if you didn't like it?" I shook my head. " I do not spit out food and it was just to be polite. I am sorry if I have offended you." He shook his head, smirking. " That's alright. I didn't like it either. Well, we could always order pizza or something." I was confused. " What is pizza?" I asked. He shook his head. " I would have to show you. I don't think I can explain it." Aleena stood up and dumped the 'meal' in the nearest trash can. " Sonic, I think you've outdone my dad on being the worst cook in Knothole. Congradulations." Aleena remarked grabbing her glass of milk and downing it.

The rest of the month went by normally until the 27th. Fangor and myself, along with Aleena, Leadfoot, and Esna headed down to the grand arena to do battle with five members from each of the other combat academies. This match was to decide which academy would remain on Mobius. It was going to be a five-way battle, with five members on each team. It all seemed rather pointless to me. After all, Fangor was on our side. We all took a seperate area of the arena and prepared for combat, everyone shifted into battle drive, with Fangor's nearly knocking us down because of his overwhelming power. I had to use my staff for support, while the others just crouched low to the ground. A few seconds later Fangor drew his sword, and signaled for us to arm ourselves as well. Leadfoot and Esna drew swords, while Aleena pulled out a whip. I had my staff, and Fangor had his two swords. All of the other teams drew swords and smirked at us, thinking their weapons superior. " Don't let your guard down." Was the last I heard from Fangor before he switched to being emotionless, ready for combat. The opponenets were 12 fire Kintushians, 3 lightning Kintushians, and the rest were an assortment of animals.

" Well, this match has been postponed for quite a while, but we are finally deciding which academy will stay on Mobius. Weapons at ready... BEGIN!" Immediately the arena turned into total chaos, everyone going everywhere... except us. We stood our ground in a circle formation. Our tails were entwined, and we only broke formation to focus on one target at a time. The battle didn't last long, with us knocking out more than half the competition. All of us except Fangor got a few cuts here and there, but aside from that, we came out just fine. Only one casualty occurred during the match. A lightning Kintushian flipped backwards as Fangor was attempting to slap him with his tailblade, and wound up having his heart severed. He disapeared upon impact with his heart. Fangor was relieved he used a standard attack instead of a cursebreaker attack. The Kintushian would return to the land of the living within 90 years. Aleena and Esna decided that they would go out to celebrate, Leadfoot decided he'd go hone his skills with the sword, and I decided I'd go for a walk in the forest until almost bedtime.

After an uneventful walk, I returned home to find everyone already asleep. I walked upstairs and carefully opened the door, avoiding waking anyone up. I slipped myself under my covers and fell fast asleep, dreaming restfully.

**END OF CHAPTER**

Finally this chapter is done! Just one more before part 2 is finished! Someone you thought long gone will return... actually several someones. Also, I want someone to tell me a pattern in the story they see about Green Lightning that seems to happen to him every chapter. First person to guess right gets a Green Lightning plushie! Well, until next time...

**Although the body-**


	17. Guardian of the Forest part 2 chapter 10

Well, This is going to be the FINAL chapter of part 2: the wait. You know the drill. I don't own the Sonic team or Aleena. Aleena is a copyright of FoxFan999 and Angel-Tails (same person), Sonic team is copyright of Sega. Well, on to the story.

**Chapter 10: Lost now found... But is it a good idea?**

**August 1**

**Green Lightning's POV**

I woke up in a stone room, devoid of modern technology and a bit chilly due to the fact that instead of a window that could close, there was a hole in the wall that served as a window. My mom and dad had driven me over here the day before, along with Aleena. It hadn't taken me long to unpack, for I had only brought my backpack, cellphone (to keep in touch with everyone), and some extra sets of clothes with me. I shivered and pulled the covers tight around me, not very fond of being cold. Suddenly the door to my room opened, revealing a girl, a few inches taller than myself, with purple fur and was a kitsune, a mystic as well, walking towards me. " Hi Aleena." I said as she approached the bed, smiling. " Good morning Tomias. Kinda chilly in here, isn't it?" I nodded. " The fire must have burnt out in the middle of the night. I would have thought I would be used to it by now. Oh well. I guess some things just can not be helped." She smiled again. " And once again, your parents have you in a bed that appears to be at least ten times your size. Well, I think you should head to the dining hall. I was told to come get you for breakfast." I smiled as I neatly folded the covers back and hopped out of the bed. As usual, I did not have to change into some clothes because I had worn my standard green shirt and shorts in the night, along with my shoes. I grabbed my cloak and slipped it on as I left, Aleena holding my hand whilst I grasped my staff with the other. _I am glad my dad decided not to make me wear a crown again... it felt quite restraining when I had it on last time._ I thought to myself as I walked down the hall. We walked down about 6 flights of stairs, all the way to the first floor. _I forgot just how big the castle is..._ I thought to myself once we reached the first floor. I smelled something good from the kitchen, adjacent to the dining hall. We walked into the dining hall, as only the cooks were allowed in the kitchen, and took seats at opposite ends of the table. There was only one other person there at the time, a short, pink-furred, kitsune that was in the midst of eating a small bowl of oatmeal. She looked no older than five, but with the fact that Kintushians were now on our planet, one could not rely on looks to guess one's age.

She looked up and glanced back and forth between us both. " Who dost thou be? Thou hast entered unnanounced and unnoticed. Please introduce thineselves." She said with a tone of slight athority, but the rest was just that of a curious child. Aleena looked confused. " Umm... What did you say?" She obviously was not familiar with the old terms. I could tell right away that the little girl was royalty, just by the way she talked. I smiled. " She asked us who we are, Aleena." I turned to the girl and smiled. " I am Tomias Dimitri, but I prefer Green Lightning. The other individual is my girlfriend, Aleena Prower." Her mouth dropped open when I mentioned my name, and she went wiede-eyed when I mentioned that Aleena was my girlfriend. She soon overcame what seemed to be a shocking experience, and smiled. " 'Tis a good day then, now that I have finally met thee, brother." She said, in the same tone she had used earlier. Aleena looked confused, as did I. " What do you mean, 'brother'?" Aleena asked, still confused. The girl giggled. " Mother and Father told me that I had an older brother, age 6, named Tomias and nicknamed Green Lightning. Thou speakest the truth about thine name, dost thou not?" She inquired. I nodded. She turned a stern look on me. " Prove it. All within our line hast been Mystics, so surely thou art gifted in the sacred arts. Be careful, for if I find that thou art lying, I shalt be forced to confine thee to the dungeon." She folded her hands on the table and concentrated on me. I decided to use a fireball spell on the nearby, unlit fireplace, so it wouldn't be a wasted effort. I turned around and saw both her and Aleena smiling. " 'Tis good to finally see thee, brother Tomias. How art thou?" I smiled as I sat once again opposite of Aleena. " Well, aside from feeling a bit cold, I believe I am alright. Hmm... You know our names, but we don't know yours. Is it alright if I ask for you to reveal to us your name?" She blushed in embarrassment. " I am sorry if I have offended thee with my poor manners. My name is Sara Dimitri. As thou hast probably already guessed, Mother and Father fought in the war to save the forest thou art sworn to protect. The curse carried by Kintushians affected them, thus they are no longer able to age. Well, shall we eat now?" She said the last bit just as a few mystics wearing tall white hats and white aprons walked in. They set the food on the table and bowed low, first to my sister, then almost to me. I stopped them before they could. " Please do not bow. It is unneccessary." They smiled and nodded, leaving happily. Sara looked at me and smiled, then looked to Aleena. " Thou art lucky to have such a modest individual in thine company. I look forward to getting to know both of you." She got up from the table, taking her empty bowl with her. " If thou needst anything, I will be in the third chamber of the royal hall, right next to Green Lightning's room. I hope thou hast a nice day. I have already instructed the guards and servants to stay out of thine way whilst thou art with thine lady today. Have a nice day, brother." She said as she left to the kitchen.

" I guess being nice runs in your family, doesn't it, Tomias?" Aleena asked as we started eating our salads (yes it was the main food around the land of the Mystics! What's wrong with salad!). I nodded. " Mom and dad never told me about having children other than myself..." I said, merely stating a fact rather than expressing grief. We finished our salads while enjoying the silence within the room. I decided to go for a walk and Aleena decided to head to Knothole to see if there was a sale at the mall. She kissed me goodbye, saying she'd see me later. I waved as she stepped through her moongate, cut off from her as soon as it closed. As I walked along throughout the familiar corridors, passing several guards, all of whom were mages and not warriors, I finally decided that I would go back to bed and get some sleep. As soon as I reached the seventh floor, where I had been sleeping, I heard a loud scream. _Sara!_ I thought to myself as I took off at full speed, my feet not even touching the ground. I rounded the corner 4 doors after my own, and came into a room with the entire Black Robe gang gathered around the center of it, all laughing low and evil. " This will take us two steps closer to finally being rid of royal scum... Let's do it!" They all raised and lowered their arms, chanting something in a foriegn language that I had never heard before. I Immediately threw a chain lightning spell at them, and hit all seven of my marks. They immediately turned around to see a very angry prince with his hands holding the magic of a prepared meteor swarm spell. They growled and left through a moongate that just opened, leaving no trace of them other than an angry prince a very scared princess, and an occupied crib.

" How could they just show up like that with you in the castle!" Aleena scolded upon finding out. I shrugged. " You forget. Moongates send you anywhere you want without having to walk there. I am sure they were hiding in there, waiting for her. Maybe now they will leave the family alone... I hope." Aleena sighed and stroked the fur on top of my head. " I don't know why I can't stay mad at you." Sara smiled. " I believe it is almost bedtime. Should we not be hurrying along to our living quarters?" I nodded in agreement, it was already so dark in the castle that we had to light the fireplaces, not only to keep warm, but to see as well. Sure summers were not hot on Mobius, unlike I heard they were on Earth. But their nights could get cold if you were not careful. I woke up halfway through the night from someone knocking on my chamber door. I crawled out of bed, falling to the floor in not the most graceful fashion. I yawned as I walked to the door, very sleepy and having difficulty staying awake. I opened it and Aleena stood there, shivering. " It's cold in my room. I can't get the fireplace to light. You mind if I sleep in here tonight?" She asked. I yawned and nodded. " You can have the bed, Aleena. I'll sleep on the floor, next to the fireplace." She looked confused. " Why not sleep in the bed with me? It's obviously big enough." I shook my head. " I feel more comfortable sleeping alone. I am sorry if this offends you." She smiled. " I'm not offended. I respect your decision. Good night." she kissed me on the forehead before getting into my bed. I closed the door and grabbed my cloak off the coatrack next to the door. I walked over to the fireplace and laid my cloak out flat. I rekindled the flame with a fireball spell, so it would last the night. I laid down on my cloak and wrapped it around me, using it as both a blanket and a pillow. " Good night, Aleena." I said as I yawned and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, before Aleena woke up, I wrote a note in Mystic writing telling her I was going for a walk in the garden and she could look for me if she wanted, but I was mainly doing it to get away from the watchful eye of the guards and my sister. She spent most of her time taking care of our one-year old brother, but the rest of the time she tended to keep her eye on me the way my mother had when I had wandered these halls in search of a way to remove the burden that had been upon my head. I was able to be happy within these walls now that I no longer carried that burden. I made my way to the garden on the first floor, happy that it had been restored to it's former glory. As I walked through it the flowers literally turned themselves towards me. I wasn't too surprised, seeing as how I had a connection with nature almost as deep as my connection with Aleena. I walked into a patch of grass that rose well above my head, and was surrounded by flowers. I carefully avoided the flowers while I waded into the grass, and stopped to lay down in it and enjoy the wondrous smell of so many flowers in bloom. I think I fell asleep there, because when I came to, Aleena was sitting on my stomach, offering a flower to me. I smiled. " Hi Aleena." She smiled. I smelled the flower. It smelled of fresh baked bread on an Autumn morning. " Ahh... Smells nice, Aleena. But it pales in comparison to thine inner beauty." she giggled as she leaned down and kissed me. " I love it when you talk like that. It's so sweet and cute!" She leaned down and hugged me, her head resting on one of my shoulders. " It's so nice here... I can see why you came, Tomias." She said. I nodded. " It is the only place the guards won't go. I am not too sure about my sister, however. I do not really know much about her." She smiled and nodded, still having me within her embrace. " You smell just like the flowers, Tomias... Only nicer." She squeezed me tighter, making it a bit difficult for me to be able to get out of her grasp when I want to. " I just want to hold you forever..." She mumbled, dreamily. I smiled and closed my eyes, about to go to sleep with my arms around the one I loved and who loved me just as much. It did not happen, however. " I thought I would find thee here, brother. Trying to win her over in the garden? Thou should be ashamed of thineself!" She said, pointing an accusing finger at me. _What did I do?_ I thought to myself. " I do not know what you mean, Sara." She shook her head. " Do not take it too far. Mother and Father would most likely find ye a harsh punishment for such a thing." She said as she left. _What does she mean by 'do not take it too far'? I do not understand..._ Just then sleep overcame me, allowing me to rest with the one I loved lying next to me with her head on my shoulder, sleeping peacefully. It was wonderful.

I woke up a few hours later to find Aleena gone and a note sitting beside me. I turned it over and saw that she had written that she was going shopping and would be back later. I smiled. _Why do girls like shopping so much?_ I stood up and walked out of the patch of grass to find Sara standing there with her back turned to me, admiring the Mobius Marvelousa, third rarest flower in all of Mobius. I carefully made my way out without her noticing me. I climbed the stairs once more, arriving at my chamber and stepping out onto the terrace. I jumped onto the wall and sat there, eyes closed, enjoying the wind blowing through my fur and the sound of silence. It was peaceful there, and I liked it that way. A few minutes later I heard a voice from the doorway. " I thought I would find thee here, brother. Thou art needed in the throne room." Suddenly I heard a bench plop down on the ground nearby. I turned to see my sister standing on it, looking upon the horizon. I looked back out, no longer smiling. I let out a depressed sigh. " Brother? What is wrong? Thou art sad, though the day is bright and beautiful." I shook my head. " 'Tis a burden I would rather not bear, sister. It seems to suck all the happiness out of me. I would give it all up if I could..." I turned around and hopped off the terrace, walking towards the throne room with heavy steps and my head hung in grief.

I sat upon the large throne at the top of the grand stairway and awaited for the guests to be shown in. The throne beside me was empty, being meant for the queen. " Your majesty, your guests aproach." Came the voice of a guard standing at the doorway leading into the throne room. " Show them in." I glumly replied. I hadn't expected those whom I saw. In stepped Sonic, Amy, and Shadow, all in casual clothing rather than their uniforms. I smiled as I got up to greet them, forgetting that right in front of the throne were stairs. I wound up landing precariously and falling head ove heels to the ground. I stood up in a daze, only slightly bruised from the fall. I immediately sat back down, still a bit dizzy. I looked up to see Amy giggling and Shadow smirking. Sonic did not seem to notice, or he did not care. He still wore his standard cocky grin, oblivious to the incident. Shadow decided to 'run with it' as Sonic and Amy put these things. " Did the little baby get a boo-boo?" He said in a mocking tone of voice. Amy immediately pulled out her hammer and smacked him in the back of the head with it. He cringed, expecting another blow. I stood up and dusted my self off before walking over to greet my friends. " Hail to thee, friends!" I said. All three of them gave me confused looks, apparently not understanding what I said. I smiled. " It means 'hi' around here. Sorry, I forgot you are not familiar with our terms." Just then my sister entered the throne room and walked over. " Tomias! Thou art supposed to be seated upon thine throne!" She said before dragging me to the king's throne at the other end of the throne room. She picked me up under my arms and sat me up there, oblivious to the snickering and sneers of Shadow. She then pulled out a comb and started running it through my fur despite my protesting. When I was deemed presentable by here, she stood between the two thrones and turned to my friends. " You may approach the king." She said. Shadow was dragged in his unconcious state towards the throne by Amy, with her hammer still in hand. Sara noticed this and spoke up. " Has your companion fallen asleep, mi'lady?" Amy shook her head and held up her hammer. " Still got a few 'kinks' to work out of him." Sara cocked her head in confusion. " Kinks? What dost 'kinks' be?" " It means problems, flaws, errors, etcetera, sister." Sara smiled. " Thank ye, brother Tomias, for clearing up the fog of confusion." She turned back towards Sonic, Amy, and Shadow (still unconcious and being dragged by Amy), and spoke. " What business have ye with the temporary king of Mystic Castle?" Amy and Sonic smiled. " We just came to visit him. We thought he would be lonely and would appreciate some company." Sara turned towards me. " Is this alright with thee, brother?" I nodded. " It is alright for my friends to stay as long as they like, Sara. Their company is welcome here." Just then the doors to the throne room burst open, revealing a very angry echidna. " Where are the chaos emeralds you little theif!" He yelled as he approached. Sara walked down the steps at a brisk pace and hit him in the head with her staff when she got close. " How dare ye enter the throne room unnanounced! What is thine reason for this intrusion!" Knuckles growled as he glared at her. " Your brother stole the chaos emeralds!" She slammed him in the head with her staff again, very hard. " How dare ye lie about my brother! He hast not stolen anything, and ye have no proof leading to such a conviction! Guards-" I cut her off by waving my hand dismissively. " Knuckles, I did not steal your chaos emeralds. Nor, for that matter, can I touch them. I would suggest you calm down-" He cut me off with his yelling. " How can I calm down when the chaos emeralds are stolen!" He immediately met the floor when my sister gave him another thrashing with her staff. " Disrespectful cur! Guards! Prepare a room for this ill-tempered individual. He will be staying with us as well." Immediately three guards, all armed with staves and standing slightly taller than Knuckles ran from their hiding places against the dark walls of the room and carried him out. Sara put her staff away and walked over to the rest of the group, signaling for me to remain seated. I let out a groan as a reply, only to be met by a stern glare from her that silenced any further complaints. _Why do all the girls around here seem so much like my mom? Ugh..._ " Well, now that the situation has dissolved, I would like to get better aquainted with thine friends, brother. How does a feast for lunch sound to thee, travelers?" Sonic smirked. " Any chilidogs?" Sara cocked her head in confusion. " What, praytell, are chilidogs?" Sonic's mouth dropped open in disbelief as Amy giggled at my sister's cluelessness. Amy smiled and stepped aside and my sister and myself noticed that they had another person with them. A cream-colored rabit in a red dress was smiling up at my sister. Sara smiled. " I see we have more company than first thought! And what is thine name, little lady?" Cream giggled. " I'm Cream!" She said, smiling and quite happy. " Well, Cream, art thou hungry?" It was Cream's turn to look confused. " She means are you hungry, Cream. " I said from the throne with my chin propped up on my elbows waiting to get down. Cream smiled. " Yes!" Sara giggled. " Well, let us journey to the dining hall to quench our hunger, shall we?" Sara turned to me. " Come, brother. You must take thine seat at the table."

I sat and waited for the food to be served, not paying attention to Amy and Cream's idle gossip while Sonic, Knuckles, and Shadow discussed the disapearance of the chaos emeralds. My sister was sitting on my right, eyes closed with her hands folded in front of her. I was just about to close my eyes myself when the main door to the dining hall burst open. Aleena was standing there, hands on her knees, gasping for air. I started to get up to help her when my sister put her hand on my shoulder. " Stay seated brother." I groaned and was immediately hit on the head by her staff. " Do not disregard thine duties, brother. I know you do not like having to do such things, but you are the king for now. You must display proper manners." Aleena walked over and took a seat on my left, still panting from mass physical exertion, or a long run. " Where's Fangor?" Amy said with a worried expression on her face. Aleena shook her head glumly. " The doctors say it's getting worse. He can no longer use magic and his scar is quite visible now, even though he says he will be fine. The doctors say if it goes on too long, there may be no way to cure him. They are running diagnostics in the emergency room now to see if they can find a cure for it, but they say even they have little hope of curing him." I smiled. " If Fangor says he will be alright, he will be alright. He is a mage, remember?" Aleena leaned over and hugged me. " Sorry, Tomias. I forgot about that. Thank you for reminding me!" " You are welcome, Aleena." She released me from the hug just as the chefs came in from the kitchen carrying many varieties of salads. Sonic's jaw dropped immediately, accompanied by Amy slamming the back of his head with her hammer. Sara seemed to ignore it. " Do not worry, Sonic. It is just the appetizer." Sonic slammed his head on the table as I said this. Sara shook her head in dismay.

It didn't take long for all the salad to be finished, even though Amy had to force-feed Sonic his. The main course turned out to be many varieties of foods, excluding salad. This was soon gone, with most of it going into Sonic's stomach. " How can you eat so much, Sonic!" Amy yelled at him after he had his 20th serving of ribs. He simply smirked and went back to eating. After the main course had been finished Sara called for desert. Sonic, Knuckles, and Shadow immediately started drooling as the many varieties of pies, ice cream, and various other deserts made their way to the table. Soon even this was gone with Amy even more disgusted by the other 3 'men' in the room. Sonic, Shadow, and Knuckles leaned back in their chairs, satisfied at last. " Hey, where's the bathroom in this place?" Sonic asked after waiting a good while. " Should be on the fourth floor. Just do not make too much of a mess, Sonic." Sara said. I scooted my chair back from the table. " I must go relieve myself, sister. I will be in my quarters afterwards if anyone needs me." Sara nodded. " You are dismissed, brother. Please be sure not to run over the guards whilst thee runs through the halls." I smiled. " I have better control of my speed than that, sister." She smiled and waved her hand. I got up from my chair and took off at top speed, my tails spinning behind me and my feet off the ground. It didn't take long for me to reach the restrooms, but what I found inside surprised me.

Unlike most of the rest of the castle, save the kitchen, the restrooms were of modern design. Toilets instead of chamberpots, sinks instead of wash basins, even working showers. _How do they get the power for all this if they do not have electricity? _I quickly went about my business, being careful not to fall into the toilet while I was on it and making sure to flush it afterwards. I went to wash my hands, and accidentally turned the water on way too hot and had to quickly pull my hand out of the stream of water that was coming out of the faucet. I turned the heat down and turned up the cold before sticking my hands back in. I dried my hands off after shutting off the water and made my way out of the restroom and towards my chamber on the seventh floor. I opened the door and climbed into my incredibly large soft bed, wrapped the covers around me and settled in to sleep.

**Normal POV**

We look in on Tomias's room where he is sleeping fitfully as though in a nightmare... " They are coming... the darkness approaches..." Is heard from him as he sleeps. His sister Sara, his girlfriend Aleena, and his friends Sonic, Amy, and Knuckles enter the room, worried about the tormented figure in the bed that seems to be 10 times his size. Amy walks over to him and attempts to shake him awake. This doesn't seem to work, nor does it need to. A few seconds later the sleeping form sits straight up, wide awake, and yelling one thing: " The darkness approaches!" Sara gasps then screams while backing up into a corner. Amy shakes her head and attempts to comfort Tomias. Shadow leans against the wall, smirking. Knuckles lets out an annoyed sigh as he starts to head for the door. Sonic walks over to Sara to attempt to comfort her. Aleena walks towards the window, looks out, and screams because of what she sees. Tomias struggles out of Amy's arms and jumps onto the window sill, and shudders when he sees what is out there. A black mass with no certain shape marches towards the castle in the middle of the night. For one without magic they would not sense the danger it poses. For those who have magic, they are filled with dread, for only they know of the threat these creatures pose to those who cannot defeat them. Tomias turns around as Amy reaches for him. He jumps over the pink hedgehog and lands on the floor. Just then the door to his chamber opens again, revealing a 8 foot-tall lightning Kintushian that could be none other than Fangor himself. " What's all the comotion about?" He asks as he enters. " Tomias had a nightmare." Amy says as she walks towards the green kitsune again. Tomias shakes his head. " It was not a nightmare, Ms. Rose. It was a vision. The creatures of one thousand years past have risen once more. We must alert the guards and evacuate the town." Amy shook her head. " Nonsense. It was all a drea-" She was cut off by Sara. " He speaks the truth, madam. Mages can not lie. We must evacuate the town and position the guards to fight these creatures. Do not bother trying to leave. They surround us on all sides. If you do not believe me, then go to the top of the central tower. From there you can see all around us."

We all made our way towards the top of the central tower which was mainly used to observe the lands that were under our jurisdiction. What was seen from there on this night haunts me to this day. For many hundred miles out all was a mass of darkness moving earily towards the castle, engulfing the towns as they went and leaving nothing but wreckage behind. Soon they would be upon us. Amy shrieked and clutched Sonic as Shadow and Knuckles stared in awe of the scene before them. " What are they?" Shadow asked, still in awe of such a mass army moving towards a castle. I looked down, worried about the situation. " They are shadow daemons. Never before have we seen an army this massive. This could be our final stand against them. If we are destroyed, nothing will keep them from taking over mobius. Not even Robitnik." Just then a guard burst into the tower. " Your highness... I mean shortness... I mean... Lord Tomias! They are almost upon us!" I turned around. " We can see that, Geoffry. Get down to the village and evacuate it to within the castle itself!" He nodded and left through the floor hatch that was conveniently hidden on the southern edge of the floor. I turned to my sister. " Sara, please alert the rest of the guards and have them make haste to the gates." She didn't hesitate before going through the hatch as well. I turned to Aleena. " As for us, we need to protect the main gate from the outside. The teleporter in the center of the room was placed here for just such an emergency. Let us hope that we survive through this event." I stepped towards the teleporter in the center of the room and found myself outside, in front of the main gate, in the rain. I looked around and saw Sonic, Aleena, Amy, Shadow, Knuckles, Fangor, even Rouge there. " Rouge! What are you doing here!" She smiled slyly. " I came looking for gems. I can smell them from miles away you know. I found 7 last week and I smell a few more nearby!" Knuckles growled at her. " You mean you stole them! You stole the chaos emeralds you theif!" I raised my hand to silence him. " Now is not the time to fight amongst ourselves. We need to defend the castle and the last town remaining within our jurisdiction. Even now the creatures approach. Prepare for combat." Aleena started a flamestrike spell while I started a meteor swarm spell, capable of hitting multiple targets at once. Amy brought out her hammer and Fangor drew his sword. I breathed a sigh of dissapointment. " Physical attacks are going to be useless against these. You need to use magic!" " We'll see about that!" Knuckles, Sonic, and Shadow said as the first line of the creatures approached us, determined to bring down the gate we guarded. " Try my spin dash on for size!" Sonic said as he curled into a ball, spun around a bit and then hurled into the first of the creatures. He sprang back a few feet, leaving no visible sign that he had hit the target. He stood there, confused as to why it was still standing as Knuckles punched it with no effect other than being slapped aside by one of it's massive claws. Knuckles hit the gate and fell down, getting up slowly and blood leaking from his side. " Sonic! Rush Knuckles to the hospital wing of the castle!" Sonic reluctantly obeyed as he grabbed Knuckles and ran off just as Rouge and Amy attacked the creature as well. Rouge and Amy both met the gate as well, but avoided any loss of blood from it. Fangor yelled in rage as he charged it, slamming into it with his sword only to be knocked aside by the creature's claw as well. " Your attacks are pathetic! Let me show you how it's done! Chaos Spear!" Shadow said just before four arrows speared them selves into the creature. The creature stopped for a second, then became exponentially larger. It was now larger than the castle itself. " Shadow! Get Amy and Rouge out of here! Chaos just makes them more powerful!" He growled and muttered something under his breath before he ran into the castle with the girls. Now it was just me, Fangor, and Aleena. " Fangor, you are unable to help here. Get to the village and help evacuate it!" He saluted before disapearing. Immediately the gates opened and guards began pouring out, throwing spells at any creature of darkness that came close. I released the energy from my meteor swarm spell and was immediately knocked down by the force of it. I fell into someone's arms and looked up to face Aleena, smiling. " So, only magic can hurt them, right?" I nodded. We stood up and continued the assault.

We were driven back towards the gate several times, but held our ground. The situation seemed hopeless. Every time we destroyed one, it was replaced. Our forces, however, were quickly diminishing as the pile of corpses grew steadily more vast. Then it came to me after I had just thrown a chain lightning spell. _If I use my magic along with the Order Emeralds, the power should be magnified..._ I stepped back from a shadow creature in the guise of a dragon just as it was about to swing at me. I pulled out the Order Emerald of lightning and cast the chain lightning spell while channeling my energy into it. Immediately time seemed to stand still as the entire sky turned a dark blue, then, all at once, millions of bolts of lightning raced towards the ground, destroying every shadow that threatened the castle and the people within. Fangor stood in awe of the sight, for no Kintushian, except the ancients, had ever seen such power. Unfortunately using the Order Emeralds comes with a price. I collapsed into Aleena's arms on the spot, whispering one thing: " We won... The darkness has been repelled..." The last thing I saw as I gazed into her eyes before passing out, was the sky becoming mid-day, signaling that the darkness had been lifted.

**?'s POV (try to guess who it is!)**

_I lay upon the table yet again, Dr. Robotnik looking over me while the Ice Kintushian Prince grinned as he bragged about how he had changed me. He had added a blaster cannon into one of my arms that could come out at will, and had also made a few other changes that he would not discuss. Later that night, he came into the lab where I was being held and knocked me out cold. I awoke in a cold sweat in the apartment I had been living in for the past several years, limited food and water, with 6 thousand mobiums next to me. Memories of the night that Fangor had betrayed me played through my mind, over and over again. It was his fault I was captured. It was his fault I was like this. I would now use this newfound power to seek revenge against the one that had sworn to protect me and betrayed me instead. I looked at the cannon on my arm as I brought it out with great pain. It bore a single inscription: Tra-Ter. What it meant, I did not know. But I knew it would be what I needed as I saved up money doing odd jobs so I could buy the one thing that was said could bring an end to him: The Soul-Slayer Sword. If it existed, I would do anything short of hurting children to get it. Fangor would pay for what he did to me, even if it cost me my life._

**September 1**

**Green Lightning's POV**

I awoke in my room in my Knothole home for the first time in a month. Being in that castle had grown tiresome. I did not much like being confined to within an enclosure of stone walls. I stretched and yawned before folding back the covers and getting out of bed. _Today is the beginning of my first assignment as a freedom fighter in-training... I hope I do not mess this up..._ I walked towards the door to my room and could smell breakfast cooking in the kitchen already. _Smells like waffles and bacon..._ My stomach took this time to announce itself. _I guess I had better go eat to quiet the rumblings of my stomach._ I smiled a little as I headed downstairs towards the kitchen. I found my way to the table and climbed up into a seat next to Aleena. Sitting across from me and attempting to spoon-feed my little brother, who was sitting in a high-chair, was my sister, Sara. Antonie, Sonic, Sally, Rotor, Knuckles, Shadow, and Cream were also sitting at the table. I looked around and saw Amy at the stove with a waffle iron nearby. " Where is Fangor?" I asked. Everyone except my sister and little brother (who was preoccupied with avoiding the spoon) seemed reluctant to answer. Sonic shook his head glumly. " Sorry, kid. He's still in the hospital." I lowered my head. " I see..." I felt someone place a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Amy smiling down at me. " Cheer up, Tomias! He said he'd be fine, remember?" I smiled, then frowned again. " I know, but you know he does not like being confined." She simply shook her head and started setting plates down in front of us.

After breakfast, Amy, Aleena, and myself went to the palace to get into uniform before heading out to meet Bunny and Cream at the transport that had been arranged for us. I was the last to get changed. I walked into the changing room, took off my robe and started putting on the light armor that was provided as the uniform. It was green and made up of several plates of metal hooked together with a communication device on the right wrist. I started it up to make sure it was working properly, and had to modify the frequency a bit so it would read the other signals coming from the other Freedom Fighter suits. It had several lights on there, only 4 were lit up. A Bright pink for Amy, A bright beige for Bunny, A dull purple for Aleena, and a dull green for myself. After fixing the frequency I turned it back off and stepped out of the changing room. " Looking good, Tomias!" Aleena said, hugging me. " Umm... thanks?" I said, blushing slightly. " Well, let's head for the transport. Bunny and Cream should be waiting there for us." Amy said as she walked out. I nodded as Aleena and myself left the building and headed for the transport at the edge of the Great Forest.

" Hey all! 'Bout time yall got here! We've been waiting for about 3 hours already! What took ya so long?" Amy shook her head. " We had to change into uniform first, Bunny." Bunny smiled. " Well, all aboard! We'll arrive at our destination in about 3 days and there's plenty of room on this thang." Bunny pushed a button on the side of the ship that seemed to rival even a Kintushian fighter craft and a ramp lowered from the ship to the ground, allowing access to it. I was the last one in, making sure that we weren't being followed.

" Well I'll be! This thang's bigga on tha inside than tha outside!" Exclaimed Bunny as we stepped into the first room. The exit closed immiediately behind us, sealing us away from any fans pursuing us. " I'll set the coordinates, Bunny. Could you show them to their quarters?" Bunny nodded and started shoving us towards the back of the transport. We stopped in front of a dull green door. " This will be your room, Tomias. In ya go!" With that, she opened the door and shoved me into a room that seemed as big as the ship was. " Enjoy!" She closed the door behind me and her footsteps grew steadly silent as they proceeded down the hall. I looked around the room and noticed that once again I was supplied with an overly large bed. _Why do they always give me such a large bed?_ I took a look at my watch. 6:37 AM it read. I yawned in response. _No wonder I am so tired... I think it would be wise to get some rest..._ I walked over to the bed after turning out the lights, literally climbed into it ( it was taller than I was! What did you expect!), then wrapped the covers around me before falling asleep.

**3 days later in the destination town**

" How long can a meeting like this take! It's frustrating waiting here for 5 hours while they talk to the mayor! How can they be so long-winded!" Aleena was shouting while pacing around our room with her fists clenched along with her teeth. I could tell she was angry, but it did not make much sense for her to be yelling at no one in particular. Amy and Bunny had left us in the tavern while they went to speak with the mayor. We would have gone in with them, but the guards stopped us, saying " No children allowed!" I lay back in my bed and sighed. " I agree, Aleena. They have been gone a good while, but this is our first mission. You can not expect everything in life to go the way you want it to." She slowed her breathing back down to a normal pace as she calmed down. " Sorry about that Tomias. I'm just bored. How can you stand being here for five hours like this?" I smiled while still laying down. " Easy. I just sleep through it." A pillow landed on my face. " Ow! What was that for, Aleena?" I took the pillow off my face and sat up, looking to the right as I did so. Aleena was sitting on her bed, chin resting on the palms of her hands, smiling at me. " For not telling me sooner. Good night, Tomias... or afternoon... whatever you want to say when you go to sleep at 3 in the afternoon." I smiled. " Sleep well Aleena." I lightly tossed her pillow back to her as I laid myself down as well.

**Amy's POV**

" I can't believe he turned down an alliance with the freedom fighters... and I'm still confused by what he said... 'I serve a higher purpose. Please enjoy the rest of your day, ma'am. I am sorry I could not help you.' What does he mean by that?" Bunny shook her head as we walked towards the tavern. " Dunno, sugah. But I don't think we should tell Green Lighting or Aleena about that. I think we should just say the mission was a failure and leave it at that. No sense in getting a teenager and a little kid worried about this." I nodded but couldn't help but feel it wasn't a good idea. Then again it could just be my stomach. I hadn't eaten since 8 that morning, and it was already 5 in the afternoon. " You alright, Amy? You look a little confused." I shook my head. " Just a little hungry. We haven't eaten since 8 this morning, before we left. Perhaps we should get something to eat before going up to get them?" Bunny nodded. " That sounds good. Let's hope the food isn't too expensive. We have to save some money to recharge the transport and our communicators." I nodded. We walked into the tavern and sat at the bar while waiting to be served. The barkeeper, a muscular hedgehog that seemed disgruntled about something walked up to us. " What'll it be?" He said in a gruff voice. " I'll have the cheeseburger with a few carrotsticks on the side. For drink I'd like a coke-cola." Bunny said. He nodded and gurnted, then turned to me. " And you?" I smiled politely. " I'll have a burger and a sprite." He grunted again and turned around, heading into the kitchen while seemingly keeping an eye on our uniforms. We waited a few minutes for our meals to get there, all the while I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I tapped my fingers on the counter. " Getting impatient, Amy? Shouldn't be too much longer." I smiled. " Sorry, Bunny. I'm just hungry." She smiled. " It's alright, sugah. We'll eat soon." Just then the bartender came out of the back room with two plates, one with a cheeseburger and carrots, the other with a normal burger. He went back into the kitchen and came out shortly with our drinks. He slapped a sheet of paper down on the counter in front of us and walked back into the kitchen saying " Enjoy." It didn't take long for us to eat our fill and wash it down with our drinks, but after seeing the bill, I don't think we would eat there anymore. " 253 mobiums for a burger! 500 for a cheeseburger! 128 for carrotsticks! 200 for sodas! What kind of eating establishment is this!" Bunny yelled. " Calm down, Bunny! Just pay and let's go." She grumbled as she slammed the 1081 mobiums down on the counter. The barkeep grinned broadly. " Pleasure doing business with you!" Bunny glared at him as we walked upstairs to get Tomias and Aleena.

**Tomias's POV**

I stepped out of the shower and dried off, still tired and weary. I heard the door to the nearby bedroom open and Bunny and Amy begin talking with Aleena. I slipped into my clothing and turned off the light as I left the bathroom. " You look dead tired, Green Lightning." Amy stated as I walked into the room, stretching and yawning. I shook my head. " Something about this city unnerves me, Mrs. Rose." She shrugged her shoulders. " Well, we have to leave now. The tavern is closing up for the night. We have to go." I yawned again and nodded with my eyes half-closed. " Alright Mrs. Rose. Lead the way." We headed downstairs where the first floor of the tavern already had all it's lights turned out. It was getting dark outside, and I could sense something was wrong. Amy and Bunny walked out the front doors and immediately stopped. " Bunny? Didn't we park the transport here?" " Of course! What could have happened to it?" I stepped forward. " It was stolen while you were talking with Aleena. Now how are we going to get back to Knothole?" She shook her head. " I guess we'll have to look for a guide. We left all of our weapons and maps in the transport... Well, all our weapons except your staff, bow, and our standard phase two pulse guns." I shook my head glumly. " Well, no sense standing around. It's going to rain tonight." I said. They all nodded as we headed into the first store we came across heading towards the east part of the city.

It happened to be a sword shop, stocking all kinds of swords I had never seen before. Standing at the counter, arguing with the clerk, was a tall kitsune with two tails, orange fur, and wearing a tattered black cloak as his travel gear. His shoes were part red and part white, and he seemed to be familiar to Amy and Bunny, for they had gasped the moment they saw him. " You offered ten-thousand mobiums for this statue! Now you're lowering it to five hundred! You're swindling me, Ocker!" The merchant smirked and pointed at something between the two of them. " It's rusted, Miles. Not near worth the first price I offered! Take it or leave it. You'll find no other merchant in all of Mobius that will buy this junk!" The one called 'Miles' grudgingly took the money and left, not even noticing us. The merchant greedily stuffed the statue behind the counter as he looked towards us, rubbing his hands together. " What may I do for you, pretty ladies?" Amy walked up to him. " We are looking for a guide. Do you know where we can find one?" He smirked. " You'll want Miles. He's a jack-of-all-trades around these parts and has quite a reputation to boot. Now, is there something here you would like to buy?" Amy shook her head and we left to follow this 'Miles' that the clerk had mentioned.

**'Miles' POV**

I walked along the streets towards the slums where my 'house' resided, merely a one-room apartment with the wall looking out to the street missing. I had no need to worry about my possessions being stolen, however. My reputation took care of that. As I was passing from the merchant and business district into the slums, I heard footsteps from behind. _Seems someone's following me..._ I quickly scaled to a higher view by jumping from wall to wall and resting on a board that connected the two walls that formed the path into the slums. Wide enough for three grown boars to walk abreast, with the open sky above. It smelt like rain, but I didn't care. They couldn't see me unless they looked up. By then I would already have a plan of attack ready in case they were hostile. I jumped forward to the next wooden beam and easily landed on it without wasting effort in climbing on to it. I waited as they came closer and their footsteps grew louder. Soon enough they were right below me, talking idly. Three of the voices I recognized, one of which I didn't want to hear at that moment: Fangor's. The other two were Amy Rose and Bunny Rabbot of the Freedom Fighters. _At last... my chance for revenge!_ I dropped down about five feet in front of them, ready for a fight. " It is time for my revenge, Fangor! Long have I awaited the moment when I would return the pain you gave me when you betrayed me!" Fangor looked behind himself, seemingly confused. " I am sorry, sir. You appear to be mistaken. Fangor is not here. Perhaps-" I cut him off by unleashing my arm cannon and aiming it straight at him. " You think you can fool me! Why don't you come out of that disguise and face me like the Kintushian you are!" Fangor looked even more confused than before. " What disguise, sir? Why dost thou think I am a Kintushian? Do you mistake me for Fangor, who at this very moment lies within the Knothole hospital?" Amy and Bunny immediately turned a death-glare on him and whispered something very harshly to him, thinking I couldn't hear. " No one is supposed to know that outside of Knothole, Green Lightning! We have many enemies outside of the Freedom Fighters!" He hung his head slightly, apparently hurt. " But it is true..." I remembered Fangor telling me that it was impossible for a mage to lie, and Fangor had been a mage. Whoever this was, he definetly wasn't Fangor. I painfully returned my cannon to being an arm. Amy and Bunny took notice. " What happened to your arm, Tails?" I growled at them. " Don't call me that anymore! I lost that name when I took up this profession! As for the arm..." I raised it then lowered it with my teeth clenched tight. " A gift from Robotnik." Bunny shook her head in dismay while the one called 'Green Lightning' clenched his fists, then quickly calmed down. A taller purple-furred Kitsune stepped out from behind Amy, wearing a slightly teal robe and completely unarmed. I changed my glance between her and Green Lightning, confused by their fashion trend. I raised an eyebrow. " What's with the robes? Halloween's already over, kids." The green one shook his head in dismay. " They are a symbol of the advancement of our powers as mages." I nodded, not wanting to go too in-depth into their society. " So, what brings you looking for me after all these years? Fangor seeking to finish the job he started?" I said with a slightly acidic tone. Amy growled a bit, but maintained composure. " Everyone except Fangor had given up looking for you. He blames himself for what happened that night... Even though it was your fault as well. You WERE told to stay in Knothole, not to go out to fight. It was partly Fangor's fault because he did not think clearly before deciding upon a course of action. All he could think about was protecting you. That cost you, him, and us." I shook my head. " Whatever. I'm still going to get my revenge. Now, why are you following me? And you can come out, little girl. I'm not going to kill you." A small cream-colored rabbit came out from behind Bunny, slightly, standing partly behind her rather timidly. Green Lightning stepped forward, only to be shoved back by the purple kitsune. " Stay back, Tomias! He's dangerous!" I shook my head. " He's not the one I'm after, ma'am. Just Fangor." She stepped out of the way and Tomias stepped forward. " We are in need of a guide to get back to Knothole. Do you know the way?" I turned my stern gaze on Amy and Bunny. " What will the payment be upon arrival?" " Fifty thousand Mobiums." Tomias said. " Be quite, squirt. Nobody asked you." " I will be the one paying, therefore it is only fitting that I set the price." I smirked. " And where would you get fifty thousand from? Your mom?" He shook his head. " I served in the Kintushian war against the fallen races. In return for my services-" I waved a hand dismissively. " I get the point, runt. You just be ready to fork the money over when we get there." Tomias nodded. Suddenly, without warning, the clouds began unloading themselves, very mercilessly. I smirked as looks of disgust crossed Amy and Bunny's faces. On the other hand, Tomias seemed to be enjoying the rain. " You wouldn't happen to have a house here, would you?" Amy asked, thoroughly soaked even though she was wearing the armor of a Freedom Fighter. Bunny seemed to be faring slightly better, but still none-too-happy about the rain. " I've got a place... follow me. And NO comments about the way it looks." I stalked off towards my apartment, about a mile from our current position. I had to glare down a few of the local pickpockets, murderers, theives, kidnappers, and various other criminals that also took up residence in the slums. My reputation kept my employers safe... for now. Amy gasped when we arrived at my apartment. " Welcome to my home, ladies." I said as we approached. The purple kitsune gagged as we approached. " What a dump!" She said. " Aleena, please be nice. It could be that he can't afford a larger or more in-tact place to live." Amy said, trying to be polite. " Only one bed, folks. Wasn't expecting company. You girls can fight over it, I'll sleep on the floor. As for the runt, he can hang himself for all I care. He reminds me too much of Fangor." In the end, the two younger girls were to have the bed, Amy and Bunny were to take turns standing watch, I was going to sleep on the floor, and the runt was going to sleep outside in the rain after much protest with Amy and Bunny. " We leave at dawn. Don't take anything you don't need." I warned them sternly before drifting off myself.

When I awoke, day had broken but it was dark and gloomy in the slums. Amy and Bunny were up, Aleena and Tomias had disapeared, the other girl was still asleep, and to top it off there was somehow a library in the wall accross the path from my apartment. I growled. " Where's the runt?" Amy pointed into the library. " Helping Aleena get breakfast ready." " In a library?" She shook her head. " It would be difficult for me to explain. Just sit down and wait." " We're behind schedual!" I said, annoyed that someone would be slowing me down from getting my money. " Better to have a full stomach then to die of starvation." I growled. " I better get double the pay for this..." Just then I saw the green little runt coming from the other end of the library, still wearing his robes that were now a bit muddy, as was his fur. I smirked. " Looks like you slept with the pigs last night." He scowled a bit and continued walking. " You will get your payment once you get us to Knothole. Now come with me. Breakfast is in the dining hall." I growled at him. " If you knew this place was here before, why didn't you tell me last night?" He shook his head. " It was not there last night, and I can not have the spell running while I sleep. It drains me too much. Now, come." He beckoned for us to follow him into the library. He led us past the bookcases, turned to the right, and led us into an elaborate kitchen. " Ish! All THIS was created by MAGIC!" I remarked upon seeing the kitchen. He shook his head. " Not all of it... Some of it I purchased and brought in here myself." " Who did the cooking, anyways? You?" He shook his head. " It was Aleena. I have yet to try my hand at cooking." I nodded and walked towards the table. Set on it were a few plates of pancakes with sides of bacon and glasses of milk. I smirked. " Better than what I usually have." Amy looked at me curiously. " What DO you usually have?" I shook my head. " It's better that you don't know." She dropped the subject and got off my back. I took a seat near the head of the table. Everyone else took their seats, with Aleena sitting across from me, Bunny next to her, Amy next to me, At the other end of the table sat the cream-colored rabbit, and at the head of the table sat the runt. I poked at my pancakes with my fork a bit before eating them. They tasted better than I had expected. " Where did you learn to become such a good cook?" I said between mouthfulls. Aleena smiled and pointed at Amy before going back to eating. I looked to where the runt had been sitting, but his place was now empty, even the dishes were gone. " Where's the runt?" Amy glared at me before pointing towards a room off to the side. " He went to lay down while we eat, after he washed his dishes." I shook my head. " How old is the runt anyways? Four? Five?" Amy waved a hand dismissively. " Six." I nearly choked on my pancakes. " Awful short for a six-year old, don't you think?" Amy smirked. " Never judge one's ability by their size." I shook my head. " How did he get into your ranks, anyways? He's awfully young to be in this town. Not to mention he doesn't look all that strong." Amy smirked. " You'd be surprised. Now let's hurry up and eat so we can get going." I nodded and returned to eating, sitting through the rest of the meal in silence.

About thirty minutes later we were done, and the runt walked right past us a little faster than I had seen him going earlier. " What's the rush, runt?" I said. He glared at me a bit, then responded as he hastened away. " We have an intruder." I saw him walk to the middle row of bookcases, pull a bow out of nowhere, and fire a single arrow towards the entrance. " Next time you get it in your hand you filthy theif!" I started walking towards him. " Kid, put the bow DOWN. It is-" He cut me off with a wave of his hand. " I know what I am doing, Tails." I growled. " Don't call me that!" I came around behind him and saw a few men entering the library, daggers drawn and wearing tattered clothing. Their eyes had a greedy hunger about them, and the runt just stood there, quite calm... until one grabbed a book. " Hands off, scoundrel!" He pulled back his bowstring, and, just before firing, said: " Thou shalt not steal!" He released the bowstring and the arrow sped itself through the theif's wrist, missing the book completely. He dropped the book and ran out with his comrades. The runt walked forward as his bow disapeared, picked up the book, and gently replaced it on the shelf. He turned to face me. " Are you ready to leave yet?" I nodded, stunned by the runt's accuracy, and by the fact that Amy would let him have such a deadly weapon. He reached to his wrist, then frowned. " Battery's out..." He shook his head and ran past me, mumbling about 'unreliable technology'. He soon returned with the others following him. " Cream, hurry up and put your shoes on, please. The path we will be traveling is not kind to bare feet." He said while addressing the young rabbit. She sat down and began slipping her shoes on. Soon we had exited the library, but for some reason I didn't see the runt. I tapped Amy on the shoulder as I continued walking. " Runt disappeared." She smacked me in the back of the head with her hammer before turning around. I turned around as well, and was shocked at what I saw. The runt had his hands raised and was moving them in some sort of pattern. The library entrance soon disappeared, replaced by a solid wall. Soon afterwards the runt fell to his knees, gasping from exhaustion. Amy walked over to him, but he waved her away. He raised his hand and a staff appeared in it. He used it to help himself up and caught up with us, almost to the entrance of the merchant and business district. Soon we were out of town and on our way towards Knothole.

About a mile away from the city Bunny started messing with a mechanism on her glove, then sighed, irritated. " Tails-" " Don't call me that!" " Do you know of a place where we can get these recharged?" I smirked. " Yes, but that'll cost you extra. Plus hazard pay." She tilted her head, confused. " Hazard pay? What do you mean by that?" " The only town I know of that has a suitable recharger mechanism would be Dwendil. Not a very friendly place. It's run down, ran by gangs, and Freedom Fighters aren't seen there very often. When they are, they don't live very long. About another three hundred thousand should cover it." Amy grumbled as I turned to face the runt, smirking. " Think you can afford it, runt?" He nodded, smiling. " Well, Knothole is to the west, but we need to go northwest in order to get to the recharging mechanism. Anyone that doesn't want to risk the trip, feel free to stay behind and rot in this city." No one objected as we set off towards Dwendil, city of gangs.

We arrived within a few days, only being attacked by a few stray murderers. I quickly dispatched them with a few shots of my arm cannon, losing alot of blood as it replaced my arm. Amy looked worried about me, but I couldn't care less. Just so long as I got my money. We headed for the tavern in the center of town, the only building that was still mostly in-tact, minus the windows. The rest of the place was mostly rubble and walls of partial buildings. " Keep your hands near your blasters, but don't look trigger happy. Gangs and bounty hunters are everywhere." Amy and Bunny nodded as we entered. We strolled up to the bar, with the kids and the runt in tow. " I'll wait at one of the tables. Don't take too long." Amy nodded slightly as I took a seat at a vacant table and watched the door as I watched them. The bartender turned around, a gruff bulldog with a very mean scowl on his face almost all the time... except this time he looked scared stiff. " Ladies, do you know that you are traveling with a murderer that has a price of thirty million mobiums on his head! Are you insane!" Amy shook her head. " We just came here to recharge our comm links. He's our guide back to Knothole." He nodded slightly and dragged a large, square machine out from under the counter and placed it on top. Amy and Bunny took their comm links off and plugged them into the device. " It'll be about an hour... Might want to get something to eat while ya wait." Just then one of the local gangs came in, accompanied by what looked like seventeen bounty hunters. The leader of the gang looked my direction, then pointed straight at me. The lead bounty hunter followed his gaze, then nodded. " That's him alright. Thanks kid. Here's your five hundred mobiums. You're free to do what you want." As the bounty hunters headed towards me, the gang headed towards my employers, specifically the girls, not the runt. The leader eyed Cream, then approached her, drooling maniacally. " Hey, little missy! Want to have a good time?" He said, just before grabbing her. The runt turned around, now weilding a tall, white staff and swung quite hard at the leader. He wound up flying into the rest of his gang, and the force of the blow even drove him into the bounty hunters. " Forget the bounty for now... Get that brat!" Suddenly they all turned on the runt, now raising his hands in strange motions. His hands began glowing just before multiple bolts of lightning struck through the roof and shocked all the agressors, knocking the gang and five of the bounty hunters to the ground, but the remaining twelve bounty hunters seemed unaffected. Amy and Bunny turned around and began firing their blasters at them, doing nothing at all. _So... a few robots became bounty hunters, eh? Never knew a robot could be greedy._ I stepped between the two opposing groups as the gang and bounty hunters got up, fur slightly singed, but otherwise unharmed. " Leave them alone, or you will have to deal with me!" The robots drew swords and rushed at me, furthering my adrenaline. Without hesitation, I pulled out my arm cannon while ignoring the pain, and fired a charged up blast right through all of them. Circuits and metal flew everywhere as they collapsed to the ground in a heap, crushing a few of the other bounty hunters in the process. The gang members ran, screaming about the 'jack of death', as I was called sometimes. I returned my arm to it's normal state and turned to the runt. " What in the name of Knothole was that!" He smiled a bit, fighting exhaustion. " It was a chain lightning spell, but because robots aren't affected by magic, it didn't knock down the rest of the bounty hunters. I kept the power low so I wouldn't kill them." I nodded, aggrivated that someone would trust such a little kid with such power. After we ate, not in the resteraunt, mind you, Amy and Bunny grabbed their comm links without having to pay for the recharge, and we finally left the city.

A few miles from Knothole it began raining, just plain pouring it's head out of the clouds and onto our backs as though it had held a grudge for a very long time. The mages put their hoods up, but the rest of them had nothing to cover their heads. I sighed and reached into a bag I had been carrying that blended in with my back to hide it, and pulled out a few rain parkas. Amy looked at them curiously at first. " Shouldn't you get one for yourself?" I shook my head. " Never had need for more than three. Besides, I like the rain, even though it reminds me of HIM." I said the last part through gritted teeth, making the girls remain silent for a while. About an hour later, however, bad luck cast it's shadow across our path.

" Stop... I feel like we're being watched." Amy and Bunny glanced around, looking for what it could be. " I don't see anything... Could just be your nerves." I shook my head. " I know we are being watched... Whatever it is, it isn't friendly..." We continued forward for about another hundred yards, then disaster struck. A blaster shot whizzed over my head and everyone dropped to the ground. We turned around and saw robots coming at us from the east by the hundreds. _We're dead..._ " Amy, Bunny? Call for backup, NOW! Anyone but Fangor!" " Why not-" I cut Amy off with an acidic glare. Amy and Bunny began frantically mashing buttons on their comm links while the runt pulled out his bow and Aleena pulled out a staff. " Stay back, kid. I don't want you to get hurt. Do whatever you want, runt. I could care less what happens to YOU." The female kitsune glared at me. " That was cold, Tails!" I growled. Suddenly swords flashed from the robots as they charged at us, faster than the average swat bot. _These can't be Robotnik's designs! He goes for ranged combat, not swordfights..._ I pulled out my cannon and began firing at random, striking down about ten of them before the unthinkable happened. " Urgh! I should have recharged back there!" Aleena and the runt quickly became surrounded and out of my sight, while I myself was getting overwhelmed, despite our reinforcments that seemed to time their arrival with the loss of my cannon's usefulness. I was now helpless, and my employers were going to die along with our reinforcments. I raised my cannon to shield myself as blows came raining in from all sides, waiting for the swords to tear into my flesh. Instead what I heard were many swords striking one. I looked up and saw the one person I didn't want to see ever again... Fangor. He looked bad. A large gaping hole in the middle of his stomach was letting blood flow out very freely. He reached with his unoccupied hand and ripped a sword handle from a scabbard on his back, and just before he swung it, it grew to fifty feet, making it far larger than any sword I had seen before. He swung it in a wide arc, and the enemy immediately fell to the ground, as did Fangor. He raised himself back up using his sword, now shortened to just a few feet. I ran over to him, concerned for some reason. " You saved me! Why!" He smirked and, while straining against the pain, gave me my answer. " It's what friends do, isn't it? Friends forver... Right, bud?" Tears welled in my eyes as he held his hand out. I smiled through them as I took it. " Friends forever!" Suddenly the gaping hole in his stomach disapeared, just as a sword found it's way through my spine and my stomach. Just before I lost sight, Fangor turned blood red and began visciously swinging his sword at my attacker... Then, black.

**Fangor's POV**

I paced back and forth in the waiting room, just outside the emergency room where Green Lightning and Tails were. Amy and Bunny had tried several times to get me to sit down, but I couldn't I was worried about Tails, and angry at myself for letting him get the way he was. Slowly the door opened and Dr. Quack stepped out of the room, shaking his head. " I'm afraid I have very bad news. Tails is about half robot thanks to Robotnik... He has had numerous organs and bones replaced, and a weapon of immense destruction implanted into him. We also found what seems to be a camera behind his right eye, but it seems to be disabled. His strength is far beyond normal, but because most of his bones have been replaced by metal-" I cut him off with a wave of my hand. " I think almost everyone here could use a fresh start. As soon as Green Lightning wakes up, send him to me. Tell him to bring the Order Emeralds. I am going to set things right..." I ran out of the hospital to my house to prepare.

**Green Lightning's POV**

I ran towards Fangor's house as quickly as I could, taking care not to run into anyone. I flung his door open and ran up the stairs to his room, flinging his door wide open and closing it behind me. In the center of the room were the timestones, which QUITE some time ago Sonc and Sally had used to visit the past for some reason. No one around here tells me everything, but I manage. I squinted my eyes curiously while staring at them. " Fangor, what are you thinking about doing?" He smiled. " I'm going to return Tails to normal, which will change the ages of most of the people that he had known when he was six." I tilted my head a bit. " Why six?" He shook his head. " I didn't want to spend anymore time figuring out a less potent spell, so I just chose the age of six." I nodded. " Alright... I will get the emeralds set up. You prepare the spell." He nodded as he grabbed a book off his desk. A few minutes later Aleena, Fangor, and myself formed a circle around the timestones, combining our power to with the emeralds and timestones to alter time. We had to be careful... Messing with time was VERY dangerous. After the spell was over, everything in view disapeared. Just before Fangor disapeared, he looked straight at me and spoke. " Tails's memory will also be altered to August in the same year he turned six. I would suggest you letting me introduce you to him before you try to visit him." I nodded as everything went black.

**almost a year later...**

**August 30th**

I woke up in my room, slightly exhausted, and decided against getting up. I was tired, and wanted more rest. I rolled over and tried to go to sleep, but a sudden knock at my bedroom door halted my attempt. " Come in..." I groaned. The door opened and Sonic walked in, alot younger and a bit shorter than I had last seen him. He smirked when he saw me. " Fangor was right after all! He did make us younger, and you slept for two days and you're still tired!" He laughed a bit to himself. " Come on! Someone downstairs wants to meet you!" _Two days! That is quite a drain..._ I stood up and stretched before climbing off the bed and slipping on my robe and amulets. Sonic ran out of my room and back downstairs as I headed for the door. I drew my staff out of the amulet and walked out, still a little tired, but otherwise I was fine. I closed the door behind me and stopped walking when I turned to go downstairs. Fangor was having another go with his father, and a female Kintushian was nearby, dressed in clothing similar to that of Fangor's father. I decided it would be best to ignore the argument, leaving Fangor to deal with his family matters. I started walking downstairs when Fangor's father turned his head rather sharply and seemingly against his will. His eyes seemed to grow slightly wider, even though he kept his stalkeyes on Fangor. He then sharply turned it back towards Fangor and continued the argument. Fangor just stood there, staring at him with a look of boredom on his face, his tailblade twitching in anticipation. When I reached the bottom of the steps the female turned towards me, then quickly back to Fangor. " Is this why you won't go find yourself a mate! Are you set on protecting the guardian of the Order Emeralds!" He shook his head, tailblade poised, ready to strike or block at a moment's notice. " Mom, Dad, it's MY life, MY destiny, so why don't you go back to the kingdom and worry about the wars, alright!" His dad poised his tailblade, anticipating an attack, while his mom simply scowled and dragged Fangor's dad out the door. Fangor's tailblade relaxed, and he sighed with relief. He then turned to me and smiled. " Well, glad to see you're up. I imagine you're still woozy from that spell, though. Come on. There's someone I want to introduce you to." He walked into the kitchen, keeping one of his stalkeyes on me as I followed him. As he entered, he shouted: " Tails? There's someone here I want you to meet." " Who is it?" Came a voice quite unlike the Tails that had been with us the past few weeks. Fangor swung his tailblade behind me and shoved me into the kitchen, too fast for me to keep my balance, so I wound up falling forward as I entered. I stood up, dusted myself off, and looked towards the table to see an orange kitsune staring at me rather strangely. It was the same guy Fangor had shown me in all those pictures. The one he had sworn to protect, even if it meant his own life. He shook his head and smiled, walking towards me. He stopped in front of me and held out his hand. " I'm Tails Prower! Nice to meet ya!" I smiled. " I am Tomias Dimitri, but my friends call me Green Lightning." I shook his hand as a confused look crossed his face. " Why do they call you Green Lightning?" I smirked. " That would have to wait till we are outside. Mother does not let me run in the house, nor do I plan to." He nodded as someone knocked at the door. Fangor went to get it as Tails and I went to the table for breakfast. We were having pancakes again, but there was something different about them. " Miss Rose, these pancakes taste different than the ones you usually make. Is it a different recipe?" I asked after swallowing the first bite. She smiled as she poured herself another glass of orange juice. " Well, Fangor suggested I add root of annul to it, to give it a different flavoring and give the food a higher energy value. According to him, the plant is quite common on his planet so he was easily able to obtain it. If you don't like it, I could always go back to the normal recipe." I smiled. " It tastes alright, I was just wondering why it tastes different from the usual. Thank you for clearing that up." " Are you always this polite?" Came a voice to my right. I grinned. " Hi Aleena. I did not see you arrive." I laughed a bit. It was not usual for me to miss Aleena coming nearby, then again she is usually at the table before I am. " Of course you did not, Tomias. You were busy eating and conversing, plus you were not expecting her because she is usually here before you are." Came my mom from the other end of the table.

Soon everyone had eaten their fill and were on their way to their daily activities... Except for myself. I rarely planned anything for the day, mainly because I did not know what to plan. The past few years had kept me busy enough, what with the Kintushian combat academy, the war, and, recently, the diplomacy mission... Which the result of was unkown to me. So with nothing else to do, I let Tails drag me outside so I could show him why I was called 'Green Lightning'. He sat on my front steps as I slipped out of my robe, revealing the green clothing beneath, which caused Tails to laugh a bit. He probably found my obsession with green amusing, I think. Then I wound up my tails and prepared to take off. " Watch closely, Tails. This is going to be fast." I released my tails causing me to blast forward, looking like a green lightning bolt to anyone except Fangor. I raced around Knothole, then back to my house. I stopped instantly, then bent over with my hands on my knees, gasping for air. When I had caught my breath, I turned to the steps to see Tails sitting there with a shocked look on his face. " You're faster than Sonic!" He said. I shrugged my shoulders. Then he took notice of my tails. He smiled. " So I'm not the only one with two tails..." I smiled. " No, you are not. My entire family has them, and so do several people where they live most of the time." He got a curious look on his face. " Where do they live?" I smiled. " You know that place called Mystic Ruins? It has been rebuilt. If you want the full story, I would ask that you get it from Fangor... I am not comfortable with telling that tale..." He nodded. " So, what do you do for fun around here?" He asked. I thought for a bit. _What do I do in my spare time? I have not had much of it until now, and I do not know what to do..._ I shrugged my shoulders. " I have not really thought about it... I have had little spare time till now." Suddenly a blue blur ran by, looped around, and stopped next to Tails. " Hi Sonic!" He greeted warmly. " Heya little bro!" Sonic replied. He turned to me, smirking. " Fangor just got challenged to a fight by about fifty fire Kintushians! It seems they're jealous that he is more in touch with the Order Emeralds than they are. You wanna go see it?" I shook my head. " I am not a big fan of violence, Sonic." He shrugged his shoulders. " Sorry, I forgot. Well, see ya around." He ran off towards the arena, leaving a trail of flames. Tails looked confused. " I'm going to ask Fangor about the Order Emeralds later..." Just then a large walrus came running up, gasping for air. He stopped in front of us, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He finally recovered from his run and turned to Tails. " Hey, Tails? Could you help me with one of my inventions?" Tails smiled. " No problem! I'll be right there, Rotor!" Rotor smiled. " Thanks!" With that, Tails and Rotor ran off, Tails leaving Rotor in his dust. _He is almost as fast as Sonic..._ I thought to myself as I headed towards the edge of Knothole to have a look outside the forest... What I saw out there brought my anger to a boil...

**END OF CHAPTER**

Finally Guardian of the Forest part 2: the Wait has come to an end! Stay tuned for part 3: Oblivion! If you want to know what Green Lightning saw, just think about what would make him very angry. Think about his past, and the present. All of those events are connected in one way or another... by one person or another... I better stop here or I'll be giving it away hehe. Well, until next time...

Those who seek the path of darkness are lost without help... But they can still be brought back if they are only shown their light. - Tomias Dimitri/Green Lightning, Guardian of the Order Emeralds, Guardian of the Forest


	18. Guardian of the forest part 3: Chapter 1

This has been a long time coming, but I'm finally writing part 3: Oblivion. I'm not going to give anything away, but be prepared for a few surprises. And, lest you all forget, I do not own Aleena or Sonic and his friends. Aleena is owned by Angel-Tails from Fanartcentral, and the sonic cast is owned by Sega. I also do not claim ownership of the Black Robe gang (at least I wish I could say that) Well, I shouldn't keep you waiting any longer. On to the story!

**Part 3: Oblivion**

**Chapter 1: The Return of Death**

Character ages:

Fangor Thunderbolt: 16-February 18

Miles 'Tails' Prower: 6-January 30

Green Lightning: 6-February 18

Flaura Dimitri: 23-?

Alkinin Dimitri: 25-?

Sally Acorn: 12-may 3

Sonic Hedgehog: 14-August 9

Amy Rose: 12-August 19

Rotor: 12-November 9

Bunny Rabbot: 12-January 8

Anthonie: 13-April 17

Shadow: 14-March 26

Knuckles: 14-June 9

Rouge: 13-June 17

Dr. Quack: 38- April 29

Aleena Prower: 13- October 8

Esna: 23- May 11

Leadfoot: 23- May 29

Angel: 18- August 2

Becca: 17- August 9

Tiffany: 5- January 1

**Fangor's POV**

I had just dispatched the last of the fire Kintushians, sending them to the gates of Heaven to await the end of their hundred years. Just as the barrier lowered, Green Lightning dropped from the sky. I knew that from that height he would break most of his bones if he hit the ground, so I grabbed his robe before he could hit. I dropped him to the ground and he quickly stood up and turned towards me, eyes filled with anger and a small amount of worry. " What are you so angry about, young one?" " Robotnik has returned..." He replied through clenched teeth, barely audible. I shook my head. " Why do you come to me? Sally leads the Freedom Fighters." He was trembling all over, a nervous wreck. " I am afraid he will seek to finish what he started more than one thousand years ago... I fear for the safety of my family... and the rest of the mystics." I shook my head. " I am not one to consult in these matters. I would suggest Amy Rose or Sally Acorn. I know nothing of fear, nor do I know how to deal with children. Make haste. I will tell the other Kintushians that stayed behind to be on alert for another assault force of ice Kintushians." He nodded, still shaking and took off in a blast of green lightning. I ignored the screaming fans as I made my way out of the arena to alert the academy to be on guard.

I finished up at the academy, after being reassured that their students would be on high alert, and made my way to Sally Acorn, most likely at the palace looking over test scores for the in-training freedom fighters. I took the shortest path, no traffic and using my top speed it took me less than a second to arrive from the academy. She was surprised to see me burst into her office like that... I don't usually go for dramatic entrances, but I was feeling cocky at the moment so I left a rather large hole in her door. " You know you're going to have to pay to get that fixed, right?" I nodded, smirking. " A nuisance has returned." She looked up from her papers and gave me a dry look. " Who is it?" I shrugged my shoulders. " Robotnik." She shook a little, then regained her composure. " Alright... First thing's first... I want Tomias under twenty-four hour surveillance. I don't want him leaving Knothole for any reason, and he is not to go anywhere without an escort. We can't have him doing anything reckless. Second, I want Sonic and a couple of your best Kintushian scouts to keep an eye on the base. Understood?" I shrugged my shoulders. " Who do you want watching Tomias?" She raised an eyebrow. " Do you have to ask?" I hung my head. " This is for the door, isn't it?" She smirked. " Yup. And don't be giving me that 'I'm not good with kids' excuse. You're still going to keep an eye on him. Plus you are the only one in Knothole or anywhere else we know of that's faster than he is." I nodded. " Good point. Oh, Tails wanted to see him for something earlier this morning, but couldn't find him. Should I take him to Tails' workshop?" She nodded. " But don't lose sight of him." I nodded and left, blowing past a few of the palace guards fast enough for them to fall from the wind of my wake.

**Green Lightning's POV**

I had just told Ms. Rose the problem, and ran as quickly as I could back to my house before she started smothering me with hugs to make me feel better... I doubted they would work at that point and time. She looked worried as I ran, but I kept going. I opened my front door and shut it behind me slowly and politely, lest I get in trouble with my mother. Apparently Fangor had already told her, because the moment I closed the door I was scooped up and squeezed tight as she started saying how it was going to be alright and how Robotnik wouldn't be a threat to them... Other things to try to console me. " Mom! Please put me down! I am alright!" She frowned, but granted my request. " Fangor's in the kitchen, dear. He says a friend of his wants you for something." I walked into the kitchen to see Fangor sitting at my kitchen table, getting yelled at by Ms. Rose, saying he should have brought me straight home instead of letting me go off on my own where I would possibly try to take on Robotnik's base by myself and other such things. He just stared at her with a bored look on his face as though he was not even listening. When I approached the table, however, his head snapped up and he turned straight towards me. " Ah... What took ya? I've been waiting here for about ten seconds, listening to Amy complain about my actions. I have a friend that would like for you to help him with something, if you feel up to it. By the way, Sally wants you under twenty-four hour surveillance." I hung my head and nodded. " I understand. She does not trust me to think rationally in a situation like this... possibly because in most of Knothole's eyes, I am a little kid." I raised my head to look at him. " Where is this friend of yours, and what does he need me for?" He shrugged. " He didn't tell me what it was... only that he needed you. Do you wish to go? Or do you want to stay here?" I shrugged. " I will go. Lead the way." He got up from his chair and opened a moongate next to it. " Faster than having to open doors, I think." He said as he stepped through. I followed him soon afterwards, and the moongate closed behind us.

The sight that awaited me was a Kintushian dagger-class fighter, painted white with gold markings. Sitting at a desk, head down and obviously sleeping, was Tails Prower. He was wearing a white lab coat and had goggles sitting next to his head on the table. Fangor walked over to him and shook him roughly. He lifted his head and yawned, mumbling something about rude awakenings. He sat up, turned around, and smiled when he saw me. " Fangor tells me you have the ability to control the order emeralds... I was hoping I could test them on this customized dagger-ship. Is that alright with you?" I turned a questioning look towards him. " What do you mean?" He pulled out some blueprints and a few books from a drawer next to his desk, and motioned for me to come over. I ran over and hopped onto a nearby stool so I could see over the top of the desk. The blueprints laid upon the table pointed out that the order emeralds could be used as a power source, if properly placed within the machine. They could be removed and added easily through a side compartment he had built into the ship. Energy pipes went from them throughout the entire ship. This reminded me of a design that someone in my past had attempted before, a design that had failed quite miserably. This one however, was much more advanced and stable. There was a possibility it could handle the order emeralds powers. He pointed to the cockpit. " Kintushian controls are a bit difficult for me to handle, mainly because they require very quick reflexes while in flight." He turned to me. " That's where you come in. Fangor doesn't know much about flying machinery such as this, and he tells me that you know things before you are taught them. Therefore, you are the best candidate for this. If this pulls through, we will have the advantage if Robotnik launches an airstrike on Knothole." I nodded glumly. As much as I hated working with machines, he was right.

I walked over to the aircraft and looked around for an entrance. I walked around it three times before Fangor hoisted me up and threw me on top. I landed on my back with a dull thud, right before a hole opened under me, dropping me into the pilot's seat. I heard another thud as someone landed behind me. I turned around to see Aleena sitting in the co-pilot's seat, smiling at me. " Aleena! Why are you in here?" Aleena pulled a harness over herself, strapping her into the seat firmly as it conformed to her body composition and size. " I couldn't let my boyfriend go on a dangerous mission alone, could I?" She smirked as I turned around. I slid my harness over myself, just as the hatch closed, plunging us into darkness. " Everything okay in there?" Came a voice over the intercom. " I can not see anything! How am I supposed to know what I am doing!" I heard a slight laugh from the other end, followed by someone being hit by a hammer. " Geez, Amy! Did you have to hit Shadow THAT hard!" Amy giggled as Tails sighed in dismay. " Some of the controls are voice operated, such as the lights, beverage dispensers, and the miniature refrigerator stocked with pudding cups. The rest you are going to have to work by hand. The Kintushian pilots are giving Fangor a few quick flying lessons so he can try to help you. I suggest you start by turning the lights on while you wait for instructions from the Ace Commander." I nodded. " Computer, activate the cockpit lights please." " Voice command confirmed. Pilot: Green Lightning. Co-Pilot: Aleena Prower. Command: cockpit lights change function to: On." Just then everything brightened up revealing dark blue walls and a few other seats that were unoccupied. " Umm... Tails? Why are there empty seats in here?" I heard a few rushed whispers from the other end before he replied. " Usually you would have four people running the weapons, two running the shields, and five on standby, but we won't need that for this training exercise. All controls are for the pilot and co-pilot right now." Just then I heard a voice in my head, that I know I did not create myself. " Ace Wing Alpha to all ships on training exercise... pilots please put your helmets on and await further instructions." I felt someone wrap their arms around my chest from behind the chair. " Did you hear that?" Came a shaky voice from behind me. " Relax, Aleena. It could have just been an intercom message..." I said. She loosened up and I proceeded to search for the helmet. After about ten seconds of searching, Aleena grabbed my wrist and lifted it straight up. I followed with my eyes and saw the helmet hanging from a cord attached to the ceiling. She grabbed it and brought it within my reach for me, seeing as how I was too short to reach it from the pilot's seat. " Thanks Aleena." I slid the helmet over my head and it adjusted itself to accommodate my ears. Again the voice came. " Co-Pilots. Keep an eye on the ships readings. Inform me if you notice any abnormalities. You will know when they become abnormal because the gauge or gauges with problems will begin blinking a bright red. If they turn black, eject. If a skull and crossbones appear over them, it's too late. Just ride it out." " That doesn't sound too bad..." Aleena replied, thinking he could hear her. " Alright, pilots. Initiate lift-off." " Computer. Engage upward momentum." " Affirmative. Beginning lift-off." Suddenly I could see as though I was the ship itself... as though it's eyes were mine. The view shifted to about ten thousand feet in the air in a matter of twenty seconds... a rise of five hundred feet per second. " Alright... to get the newbie used to flying these birds, how about we start with a few laps around the planet? Engage full thrust... now!" " Computer. Engage maximum forward momentum." " Affirmative. Engaging maximum forward thrust. Hang on to your seats, kids. It's going to be a rough ride." Immediately the landscape became a blur. I knew I was screaming... I knew Aleena was screaming... but I did not hear it. What I heard instead was this... " Tomias, don't try to talk or even scream. You are moving too fast for sound to move enough to be heard. Open your mind and speak with your thoughts." Although the landscape was a blur, I had remarkable control over the ship... I was pulling it into loops and dives without even skimming a single leaf. " Fangor? How am I able to control this so well! Everything is a blur to me, yet I react as though it was standing still!" Surprisingly enough I had thought this instead of said it, yet I heard it very clearly. " Your ability to react far exceeds that of any other of your species. In a few minutes the 'Ace' is going to have you pump an Order Emerald into it. If Tails's theory proves correct, the ship's speed will multiply, and the weapon systems will become supercharged." Just then the captain cut in. " Fangor, I can tell the runt myself, thank you very much. Well, I suppose Fangor already told you, so go ahead and power up with an emerald. Just reach your hand forward and let your thoughts do the rest." I complied and nothing seemed to happen. " Remarkable! It worked!" Came the captain again. " What do you mean, madam? I do not see any difference." " Of course you don't. You are able to adapt to the new reaction time needed because of the Order Emeralds. Now let's add another one." I reached my hand forward again, and another was activated. " Simply remarkable! I've never seen such power!" But then something went wrong... " Green Lightning! All the readings are flashing between red and the skull and crossbones! We've gotta get the emeralds pulled out!" Suddenly another voice echoed through my mind... dark, sinister... and familiar. " Don't listen to her... Just add another emerald... increase the ship's power... make it invincible! More power! You must use more power!" _I will not allow you to have the power of the Order Emeralds!_ " You fool... Do you think you can resist me! I command you to use the rest of the Order Emeralds! This ship will soon be mine! And with it, the Order Emeralds. And then... I will have my revenge on you for thwarting my plans to eliminate Fangor." I shuddered. _Only one option left then..._ I attempted to remove the Order Emeralds, but he had the controls for such an action locked. I switched the ship over to auto-pilot and took my helmet off. The computer adjusted the cockpit to allow sound to travel freely within, as it would be needed to avoid alarming the other pilots. I hung my head. " Aleena... What would you say if I asked you to begin the self-destruct sequence?" I heard her gasp. " Why would you do that?" I frowned. " We are locked in. I can't remove the emeralds already powering the ship... Only way to get out is to destroy it." I felt her hand under my chin. She turned my face to look her straight in the eyes. " Are you sure there is no other way?" I nodded. She frowned and then slammed her fist on the large red button next to the order emerald console. Immediately screams of confusion echoed through my mind. " What is he doing! Self-destruct!" " This kid's lost his mind!" " Don't do this kid! Just remove the emeralds!" I shot back with a few simple words: " It is the only way..." Just then we were plunged into darkness as the ship's lights went off, right before we heard: " I'm going after them! Get out of my way!"... Fangor.

**Fangor's POV**

I jumped through the hull of the ship, not even bothering to open the hatch. I poured on as much speed as I could, but the ship was moving too fast for me to get to it. It's movements were too erratic. Suddenly the ship was engulfed by a fiery blast as all the pieces were blown away from it. I heard someone screaming from the ground, and upon looking down with a single stalk-eye, noticed that it was Aleena, screaming about Green Lightning. I set all four of my eyes upon the explosion, now dissipating. What was left afterwards was a falling green kitsune, and eight emeralds supporting him. They guided him safely to the ground, where the captain, other pilots, Sonic, Rouge, Shadow... Everyone important to him at that time had all gathered around. The captain was looking worried for once, the pilots looked about ready to kill... Well you probably know how the others would react. I knew that they all shared one thought: Is he dead? Suddenly he stirred and tried to get up, but the explosion was powerful enough that were he normal, without his immortality, he would have died. He lay there, short of breath and aching all over, with people sighing in relief and the pilots approaching him, hoping to finish the job that the explosion seemed to have started. _Looks like they're looking for a fight..._ " Leave the kid alone!" I said as I drew my Kintushian longsword and Sword of Justice, and dove for the assailants. I was too quick for them... In less than a second I had dispatched more than three hundred of our finest pilots. It was just our luck that the ex-captain decided to show up then. From the look on his face he had seen the explosion. Now he was here to question the pilot responsible. He gripped the hilt of his sword as he approached the current captain, that was currently glaring at him with a very venomous gaze. " Who is responsible for destroying the prototype-katana class ship!" The remaining pilots, the ones that had not been foolish enough to attempt to kill my friend all pointed to his unconscious form. He turned his murderous glare on the kid, and got even angrier if it was even possible. " You would allow a mere child to fly one of our advanced fighter craft! Much less let him blow it to bits!" The current captain landed a fist across his face, knocking him back a few feet and causing him to fall over. " He was the only one capable of flying it. The systems malfunctioned and the hatch wouldn't open. The ship could not handle the power of the order emeralds." The ex-captain stood up. " No mere child is capable of handling one of our fighter-craft! Now stand aside so he can face punishment for destroying air-command property!" His breathing got heavier, his skin and pupils began turning red, he was going into 'rage form'. The captain began backing away. " Pilots! Get everyone out of here! He's lost it!" I yelled. Aleena grabbed Green Lightning and the Order Emeralds began following them. The pilots were in a hurry to get everyone away from the area, even those that insisted on watching. Soon it was just me and him... and one other... " How do you like my puppet, Fangor?" A voice echoed through my head. _Release him from your hold! Your fight is with me!_ " But Fangor! This is so much more fun! You see, you are the only Kintushian with a will strong enough to keep your mind while in rage form... I can take over this Kintushian now that he's lost it! Won't that be fun?" _Leave him be, dark one!_ Just then he finished his transformation... He was six hundred feet tall at full height, his main shape was that of a dog crossed with a pig with bull horns on his head and blood red skin. His teeth were about ten feet long each, and sharp as kintushian-tin swords. His horns were like redwoods and capable of going through a Kintushian like fire through butter. His claws were sharp enough that if I attempted to defend myself with a Kintushian iron sword, it would be cleaved in half.

He reared back and bellowed, long and loud, before attempting to sink his teeth into me. I quickly jumped back, narrowly avoiding severe pain. I wasn't about to let him attack again. I spread my wings and flew to more than ten thousand feet before beginning my decent. I drew my kintushian steel-longsword along with the Sword of Justice, and poised my tailblade, ready to take him out in a single attack. I dove right towards the heart, and once I came within ten feet of him, I began lashing out with all I had. It was over in a matter of moments... The moment my tail sliced through his heart he disappeared, leaving me to plow into the ground face-first. " URGH! Beware! Next time we meet, I won't go so easy on you!" _You will never defeat me with such petty tricks..._ He didn't reply. I heard shouting coming from the edge of the massive clearing, towards Knothole. Apparently my easy victory had not gone unnoticed, so I decided to head for Green Lightning's house, to get out of having to answer questions of reporters.

I stood at the bottom of the stairs, not even wanting to get some sleep, nor did I have the need for it. I had been told to keep an eye on the kid, so I was making sure he didn't try to get out the front door. He had just gone to bed after reassuring his mom several times that he was alright, just tired. I soon heard light footsteps and then a door opening upstairs. I looked up to see Green Lightning stumble out of his room drowsily with his eyes half closed. He slowly shut the door behind him and stifled a yawn as he made his way downstairs and past me, heading for the bathrooms. A few minutes later he came back, slowly walking towards the stairs and trying to keep from falling over. He missed the stairs, however, and nearly ran into the front door. " Not trying to sneak out are you?" I said. He opened his eyes a bit wider and noticed where he was going. He yawned loudly and turned towards the stairs. " I must really be tired... I can hardly see where I'm going..." He yawned again and walked back to his bedroom. "Hey, Green Lightning?" He turned at his door and looked down at me, yawning. " Yes?" " Try not to forget how to fly one of those. You'll need that information some day." He nodded and went back to bed. Just then the front door opened and Bunny came in. " Sally sent me to relieve ya so you can get some sleep. Don't worry. I'll watch him real well. You hurry off to your house before the reporters notice yer outside, 'kay, sugah?" I nodded and ran out of there, jumping over buildings rather than going around them. I got in my front door before any reporters noticed me, and lay awake in my bed the whole night, wondering who it was that had been tormenting Green Lightning... and trying to torment me.

**August 31**

**Green Lightning's POV**

I lay awake in my bed, around six in the morning by what the clock was showing, listening to Fangor and Ms. Acorn talk downstairs. " What is the report?" " His parents have been notified. They are taking all necessary precautions to avoid disaster." " And what about Green Lightning?" " As far as I know, he's doing alright. That explosion messed him up quite a bit. He won't be able to reach his maximum energy potential for many months. Good thing he shoved Aleena through a moongate before the ship blew. Otherwise..." " Alright... Keep an eye on him, Fangor. We can't have him panicking while Robotnik is on the loose." " Yes... Rash decisions tend to lead to bigger problems than the one they were meant to solve. Well, we'd better send someone up to wake him. Breakfast is almost ready. I'm going to head out on patrol for a bit." " Aren't you going to join us for breakfast?" " If I do, I do. If I don't, I don't. Simple as that." " Alright... Have a nice day then." " Kintushians don't look forward to 'nice days'." Fangor opened the front door and headed out. " Tai- Oh, wait. He fell asleep in his workshop again while working on another of his planes... Sonic's out on a run... Amy and Aleena are preparing breakfast..." I got out of bed, grabbed my amulets, slipped on my robe, and opened my bedroom door before she could name off anyone else. " I am already awake, Ms. Acorn." She smiled and put her hands on her hips. " How much did you hear?" I shrugged my shoulders. " Enough to know that my parents know Robotnik is back." She shook her head. " Eavesdropping is rather rude, you know." I shook my head. " I did not eavesdrop. I simply heard." She nodded, smiling. " Well, breakfast is almost ready. Why don't you go ahead and seat yourself at the table? And please don't call me Ms. Acorn anymore... it's a bit too formal. Just call me Sally, okay?" I nodded and walked towards the dining room.

Aleena and Amy were already setting the table, and three familiar faces were already sitting, or in the case of the croc, sleeping at the table. Espio and Charmy's eyes went wide with shock and their mouths gaped open when they saw me. " Is there something wrong, Chaotix? Aside from Vector being asleep of course." They recovered, then both of them smacked Vector in the back of the head. He threw up his arms in defense afterwards. " I surrender! I surrender!" He said. Then he looked around and noticed where he was. " Um... I mean good morning." Then he saw me. " Well you seem pretty okay... Anyone know what we're having?" A large spoon flew out of the kitchen and hit his head quite hard. " You'll know when we're done! Now since you three have nothing else to do, go get Tails and Sonic over here! They're going to miss breakfast if you don't hurry!" Amy yelled from the kitchen. Team Chaotix immediately got up and ran out of the house before they could be pelted with anymore silverware from the kitchen. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. " Green Lightning, could you answer it please?" I got up from my chair as I answered, not wanting to waste time. " Yes Ms. Rose." I walked to the door and was met with a half-asleep Tails when I opened it. " Glad to see you're okay!" He said, smiling. I nodded. " Breakfast is almost ready. Come on in." He walked past me and into the dining room. I closed the door and heard a knock as I turned around. I opened the door and was greeted by Sonic as he walked in. " Hey Green Lightning! Good to see you're up and about. You feeling okay?" I nodded as he headed for the dining room, and was met by a very winded Chaotix. They did not even bother to say hi as they walked by. I closed the door and immediately another knock insued. _I'm going to be here a while..._ I opened it and was met by Shadow. " Oh... it's you, runt." He said as he walked by, followed soon by Knuckles and Rouge. " Wait up!" Was heard in the distance. I looked out the door and saw Cream running along with her chao, Cheese. She ran right by without even noticing me as she headed for the dining room.

I finally closed the door and walked away from it, heading for the dining room. When I got there, almost every seat was taken. Only five were left. I walked towards my chair, and was immediately pulled into a hug from Aleena. " I'm so glad you're okay!" She said while sobbing into my shoulder. " Never do something like that again! I don't want to lose you!" " Why should you worry? He's capable of handling himself." Came a voice from the door. Aleena looked slightly annoyed. " So... You're going to join us for breakfast after all?" Fangor stepped into view. " I've nothing better to do right now, so I might as well." He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, seemingly asleep yet I could tell he was awake and highly alert. As usual he planned on being the last to be seated. Sally soon walked in and seated herself. Aleena and myself followed suit. Fangor didn't move until the food had been sat and Amy sat down, then he seated himself. He then looked over to Sonic and Shadow. " I'm surprised you two aren't going at it yet." Shadow shrugged his shoulders. " Amy made us call a truce at mealtimes." I looked at what was on the table, and, not surprising, most if it had something to do with Sonic. The pancakes and pies were shaped to look like Sonic's head, the cake had blue frosting and Sonic emblems on it... I looked over at Sonic and he was beet red. Shadow and Knuckles were whispering something to each other while Tails was darting his gaze between each of the foods, deciding what to eat first. Amy (unfortunately for Sonic) was inching closer to her hero. " Ahem! I think your romance can wait, Amy. It's breakfast time." Amy threw her hammer at Fangor, missing him and hitting the wall. " You ruined it, Fangor!" She returned her seat to where it had started and helped Aleena serve the food.

It took about an hour for us to finish, but what came at the end I somehow expected... Eight black moongates opened up at all sides of the table, and out stepped the Black Robe gang. I was immediately thrown into a wall as a very familiar switchblade was drawn... But this time I was prepared for it. I pulled out my staff and swung it at his arm, causing him to lose his knife. He then threw me across the room and into another wall, then charged at me with another knife. Fangor seemingly accidentally brought up his tailblade and slapped the assailant aside. I picked myself up off the ground and prepared for another attack, but the gang had already left. Fangor shrugged his shoulders and smirked. " Didn't even stay to help clean up... Rude, eh?"

Thirty minutes later, after Aleena checked me for cuts and bruises, I headed outside and into the forest itself. I felt at peace amongst the trees, even though they seemed to be asleep at the moment. Suddenly a large beam of energy shot through the trees and nearly struck my arm. I rolled to the side and stared at where it had come from. What stood there was one of my only fears... a swatbot armed with a laser rifle. It charged up it's rifle quickly and fired off another shot. " Surrender or you will be destroyed." It stated in a monotone voice. Just then nineteen more showed up and began firing at me. I immediately turned and ran at full speed back to Knothole, being pursued with increasingly accurate swatbots. Just as I reached my front door, their shots hit their mark... all twenty of them. I felt them tear right through me, searing my flesh and fur... scorching my bones... and ripping pain throughout my entire body. I screamed in pain as I slammed into the closed door and slumped to the ground a few feet away. My wounds healed quickly, only to be replaced by fresh ones as the swatbots shot again. I scarcely heard the door open over my screams of pain. The last thing I heard before passing out was Aleena screaming in fear. " Swatbots in Knothole!"

**December 22**

I awoke with a sharp pain in my side, screaming from the suddeness of it. Immediately the door to my room opened and in stepped a female lightning Kintushian with no emotion whatsoever in her eyes or voice. " Is something wrong?" I shuddered at the way she said it... It brought back something Fangor had told me... 'Some believe in order to be the perfect warrior, you must relieve yourself of all emotions no matter what the situation... Those that chose this path have all but lost their souls to emptiness... I don't want to turn out like them.' She walked out and Aleena walked in a few minutes later, smiling weakly. " I'm glad to see you're back with us... You've been in a coma for almost four months now... The Kintushian doctors took that time to fix a few things with your digestive and energy storage systems, and they kept the media away so you could get your rest. Are you feeling okay?" I shook my head. " My side hurts..." Aleena nodded and walked towards me. " It's probably the bandaged wound... They kept changing the bandages so the wound wouldn't bleed too much. Now that you're out of the coma, it should be safe to remove it." She climbed up onto the bed and sat on her knees. She pulled back the covers, revealing blood red bandages that were leaking badly. The sight was ghastly enough to nearly make me pass out, but I kept my composure. " Could you close your eyes while I remove them, Tomias?" I nodded and closed my eyes tight, glad to see anything except those bandages. I felt the pain get sharper as she removed the bandages, getting worse and worse as they became looser. Soon the bandages were completely off, then the pain lessened. " Wow! It's healing itself!" I opened my eyes and nearly passed out when I saw the gaping hole going all through my left side sealing itself. Soon the pain was gone. " Feeling better?" I nodded, smiling. I looked around and noticed I was in the hospital again, and without my robe nearby. I shivered a bit. " It is a bit cold in here to me. Can I go home now?" A light Kintushian walked in holding a clipboard, and smiled as he stared at me. " Well, you have recovered quite quickly... As soon as we get a parent or legal guardian's signature, you will be free to leave." Aleena leaned over and hugged me before getting off the bed. " I'll go get Amy. I'll be back soon." She ran out the door, and the doctor soon left in the opposite direction down the corridor. I hopped off the bed and began pacing around the room in an attempt to keep warm, and nearly ran into the Echidna nurse that walked in. I jumped back before she noticed me. She walked over to the bed and began changing the sheets, removing the bloody ones and replacing them with clean ones. She turned around and headed for the door as I continued my pacing. I soon felt myself being lifted off the ground and placed back in the bed. " You're not going to get any better by being out of bed..." She shoved my chest so I would lay down, then wrapped the covers around me tightly as to prevent movement. " Now get som sleep... I'll be back later with a thermometer." " But I am not-" She put a finger to my lips. " Shhh... Sleep little one." I heard her footsteps moving towards the door, the sound becoming quieter as she moved away. I sighed in exhasperation as I attempted to get my arms loose from the covers that were wrapped around me, but to no avail. They held firm. Soon footsteps came my way, five pairs of shoes from the sound of it.

I felt the covers become unwound as a yellow figure passed by the bed. It was the same doctor that had been in the room earlier. " You're free to go. Sorry about the mixup with the nurse. She's new and got the wrong room number." I nodded as I stood up. " It is alright, sir. No harm was done." He smiled and left, passing by the four standing at the door. " Good to see you're alright!" Sonic said as I climbed down from the bed. I nodded and shivered a bit. Amy handed me a shirt and Sally gave me my robe. I slipped both on quickly and immediately I was warm again. Aleena walked up and hugged me. " Ready to go home?" I nodded. " Your mom and dad are planning a big dinner when you get home. They were worried about you, but didn't panic." I nodded. " What happened to the swatbots?" Aleena frowned. " After you passed out, swatbots began pouring in from all areas of the forest, shooting random people. Some were hit by the laser rifles, and died on impact. Others were hit by tasers and dragged out. The death toll rose to over five hundred in a matter of just a few minutes. The Kintushians soon arrived and fought the ones that remained behind... Fifty-three of the two hundred twenty-seven were sent. It was awful..." I turned towards her. " Where was Fangor?" She shrugged her shoulders. " I don't know... He disapeared soon after you left. Said it was urgent." I nodded. Soon we were outside, and the roads, sidewalks, and roofs of houses were covered in snow. Cars weren't allowed to be used this time of year due to the hazards they posed in this weather. " I will meet you all at the house. Be careful." I said as I cast my recall spell and appeared in front of my house a few miles away. I opened the front door and stepped inside, soon followed by Sonic slamming the door as he ran inside. " We're here, Mrs. Dimitri!" Sonic yelled while shivering. My mother stuck here head out through the kitchen doorway. " Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Go ahead and seat yourselves at the table."

Dinner did not take long... I was not very hungry for once and was soon excused from the table. I headed upstairs to my room and found an unopened letter on my desk... with my father's seal on it. I opened it up, expecting to read about how he reacted when he heard of the attack on Knothole, but from what I read it appeared that he did not know about it.

Dear son,

I am requesting your presence at the palace to meet the eight kings of the other kingdoms, along with their families. Please bring your girlfriend along and be careful. The black robe gang is still on the loose. We will have a room for the two of you once you arrive. We are using most of the spare rooms for the visitors, so you two will have to share your old room. We have moved an extra bed into it so you two will not have to share a bed. We have updated some of our communications in the castle, such as introducing telephones, those things they refer to as 'intercoms' (please find me the full name of that. I am quite confused as to why they would shorten it.), and computers with e-mail capabilities. If you have time, I would like for you to invite a few of your friends along. Please leave as soon as you can. I do not think I can listen to any more of King Lesgard asking me 'Where is your son? I will not believe he is still in the hospital as I do not see him there when I visit it.' He happens to be one of those 'believe only what you can see' people. Also, please tell Princess Sally Acorn I am sorry I have been unable to visit.

Love,

Your father, Alkinin Dimitri- King of the Mystics

" So... who all is going?" I spun around and saw Aleena standing at the door, smiling. She giggled as she walked towards me. " Sorry... you tend to read out loud. I'll let your mom know." I nodded. " Would you mind if Shadow, Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Sally, Amy, and Cream went with us?" She smiled and nodded. " I'll get them after talking to your mom. Wait downstairs for us, okay?" I nodded and followed her downstairs. She stopped at the doorway and turned around to face me. " I'll also get a couple of lightning Kintushians to come with us in case we run into trouble. Don't forget the black robe gang is still out there." I nodded and we continued downstairs.

Two hours later we were on our way, my mom coming with us as well even though the kintushians in our company protested against having another person join the group that was setting out for the Mystic Kingdom. The journey went smoothly as we left the forest. All went well until we approached the borders of the Mystic Kingdom... " Halt! Place your weapons on the ground and step away from them!" came the voices from four warriors ahead of us, hidden by the darkness of night and the blanket of snow that covered the ground. I heard the two kintushians begin drawing their swords, but I held my hand up, staying their blades. " Do as they say." They grumbled but obeyed, tossing their swords on the ground and stepping away. " You two! Drop your weapons!" They said, putting a spear to my throat and to Aleena's as well. " We know of your Mystic's way of storing their weapons... Drop them on the ground NOW!" I do not know what I was thinking... I suddenly grabbed the spear of the warrior in front of me, turned it around while removing it from his hand while he was stunned by my action, and swung it in front of me in a wide arc, driving them back. Aleena put a hand on my shoulder and I calmed down, still holding the spear in case they made another attempt to attack. " I will shed some light on the situation..." I said, calling forth the power of the Order Emerald of light. Immediately the area around us was lit by a bright light, seemingly from nowhere. The four warriors were three foxes and a badger, the badger being disarmed. They looked quite stunned by what I had just done, but soon recovered, dropping their spears to the ground, as well as dropping to one knee. " We are sorry, Guardian of the Order Emeralds, for attacking your entourage. We-" I raised my hand, silencing them. " You were merely protecting the border. Please look closer before attacking next time." My mother stepped forward, kneeling next to me. " It is about time we made camp, Tomias. It is a bit past your bedtime and getting quite cold out here." I nodded and reached for the fire Order Emerald. The kintushians picked up their swords and returned them to their scabbards, glaring at our assailants all the while. The four warriors set a fair bit of kindling on the ground and backed away from it, going to help the others set up the tents. It took me a while to get the fire started, mainly because I was cold which made it difficult for the fire Order Emerald to work. As soon as the fire lit the light produced by the light Order Emerald vanished, leaving no trace whatsoever. Soon after the tents were finished and the group gathered around the fire, pulling up logs that the warriors had carried with them. We looked to be a ragged and ill-picked assortment of adventurers to be traveling at this time of year. Snow resting on our cloaks, robes, armor, fur, and whatever else it could cling to. I was just about the only one shivering, aside from Sonic and Aleena. Everyone else, excluding the kintushians, Shadow, the knights, and my mother were dressed for the ill weather. I stood up and stretched after I had sufficiently warmed up, and headed to my tent which I would be sharing with Aleena, Cream, and Tails. The four warriors had brought their own, Sally, Amy, and my mother would be in a tent together, and Sonic, Shadow, and Knuckles would have to get along for at least one night as they would have to share a tent together. Our plan was to head out at dawn and hopefully arrive by midnight the next day.

**December 23**

We packed up camp at dawn, and the warriors returned to their patrol after I stopped the fire. The rest of the journey was uneventful unless you count Shadow and Sonic's usual arguments. We arrived at the castle, cold, covered in snow, and, in the case of the kintushians, very irritated. The drawbridge, though lacking a moat, lowered with a loud creak as it laid itself into our path. " Quite a large door..." Remarked one of the warriors. Indeed, it did look like a door. The wood appeared to be oak, a light tan to complement the cold gray stone of the castle walls themselves. We clambored over it and ran into the castle, seeking shelter from the cold. " Halt! State thine name and-" The guard beyond the gate, within the shadows, out of our sight, stopped in midsentence. " Prince Tomias! Welcome home! Your father has been expecting you!" He immediately opened the gate and let us through, not even stepping out of the shadows in the process so we could get a good look at his face.

Soon we were at the doors to the throne room. I could hear loud voices coming from beyond the door, accompanied by music of sorts. I threw the doors open wide and stepped in, grabbing the attention of every person in the room. The music stopped, silence pursued the loud conversation, and all that were in attendance were staring... at me. My father stood up from the table where the other eight kings were seated. " Welcome home, my son. I trust your journey was free of harm?" I nodded just before being lifted into the air by the back of my robe. " This runt is the guardian of the Order Emeralds! Ha!" The other seven kings began laughing, immediately being silenced by my father's glare. The one that held me in his grasp continued. " This runt is no more fit to guard the emeralds than he is to polish my boots!" Immediately I heard the sound of metal coliding with something solid, and looked down to see Aleena standing two feet below me, ready to whack the king again with her backpack in hand. He brought his foot back and I immediately used the lightning Order Emerald to send electricity from it into him to prevent him from finishing his action. He immediately dropped me and fell to the floor, groaning in pain. The other kings gasped in shock. " Have you any doubts now!" Yelled my father, imposing a silent threat upon the others seated at the table. The sat down looking quite shaken, shaking their heads and returning to eating.

He calmed down and turned back to us. " I am sorry about the rude welcoming. This is the first time we have met in these halls since before Robotnik showed up for the first time. Jamal and Atuer will escort you to your proper table. The feast will begin shortly." I nodded as two blue-robed figures approached us. They stood as tall as my father, possibly even taller, carrying oak staves carved with our symbols for 'fire', 'wind', and 'light' for Jamal, and 'beast', 'stance', 'glow', and 'earth' for Atuer. What the combined symbols meant, I did not know. I had not taken advanced magical workings class when I had gone to the mage academy more than one thousand years ago. They noticed I was gazing at their staves and glared harshly at me. I immediately lowered my eyes away from them, not wishing to anger them. " Adults, hence those that are over the age of eighteen, this way." My mom stepped forward, along with both lightning kintushians and followed Jamal. " And the rest of you little brats follow me to the childrens' table!" Came the booming angry voice of Atuer, immediately followed by a grunt of pain after a quick muttering of a fireball spell from my father. " Be curteous, Atuer. They are our guests, not our enemies! Do not set a bad example for the other kingdoms, or your own son!" He grumbled as he walked towards a small table, glancing over his shoulder every now and then to glare at me and receive a magical arrow spell from my father. By the time we reached the table, he had to go get his robe repaired because of all the magical burns it had received. When we arrived at the table, there were three princes and five princesses seated there, each wearing a different color of armor, one for each kingdom they had come from and the armor shaped differently depending on the weaponry and combat style the kingdom used. Two of the princes walked up to me as I arrived, and led me to the head of the table where two chairs were placed side-by-side. They then took Aleena and sat here down beside me. When I looked at them confused, they smiled and explained. " Your father already told us about you and your girlfriend. We are very happy for you, maybe even jealous." They then got up with the princesses and helped the others find seats, seamingly pairing them up themselves. They had even seperated Sonic and Shadow by almost the whole table length, putting Sally beside Shadow and Amy beside Sonic, ignoring Sonic's protests. Tails and Cream were placed in the center on the left side, With Knuckles sitting on the right side, an empty seat beside him, smirking as Sonic squirmed in Amy's grasp.

Soon a loud gong was rung, and about twenty chefs filed out of the kitchen towards the two tables. Eleven went to the adult table, and the other nine headed for ours. Two of them headed to get Amy to let go of Sonic long enough to get his order down, and one headed for each of the rest of us, the other two hanging back in case assistance was needed. Aleena looked at me questioningly as some passed right by me without even noticing, one stopping beside her to get her meal order. I decided to answer her unasked question. " It is tradition for those whose parents are present at a feast, whilst they are still considered children, to make the food orders for them. This is actually the first feast that I have been to in the castle." She nodded grimly, saying nothing else.

After the meals were ordered, the chefs returned to the kitchen and brought back covered platters to each of those present, once again removing Amy from Sonic. I was served a bowl of tossed salad and also a bowl of what appeared to be noodles covered in a yellow sauce. Aleena had ordered a cheeseburger and chocolate milk, while the rest of the table was an assortment of various foods, some of which I had yet to see, including what Fredrick, prince of the Kingdom of Valor, reffered to as a 'souffle'. It did not take me long to finish my food, and, seeing as how not many that had attended the feast were in a talkative mood, not including the adults from the different kingdoms, Aleena and myself were told to head up to bed by my father and mother.

It didn't take me long to find my room, just the way I had left it, only with a few extra pillows on the bed and an extra coatrack for Aleena to use for her robe and anything else she didn't want to wear to bed. As for myself, it was a cold night, so I only removed my robe and shoes. Aleena had brought along some night clothes, so I climbed into bed while she changed. Soon she had climbed into the bed and crawled over to me, sliding under the covers next to me as the magical fire within the hearth lit itself, warming the room a little. " Good night Tomias. Sweet dreams." She said, kissing me on the cheek. " Good night, Aleena. May it go well." She smiled and hugged me before turning over and falling asleep, and I soon did the same.

**December 24**

We left early the next morning, not wishing to stay much longer with such heated guests in the castle. We had walked out about two miles from the castle in two feet of snow, making it difficult for me to know where we were going. Because there was so much snow and cold, I created a moongate leading back to Knothole, out of sight of the castle's guards, so we wouldn't have to travel so far for so long. The trip to the castle was cold enough, and it was only going to get colder as the days progressed. The Kintushians had to throw Knuckles through it, seeing as how he still didn't trust some things that he did not know. I was the last to enter, closing the moongate after me. We ran inside the house, shutting the door behind us as the Kintushians left for whatever they were assigned to do at the moment. I was standing in the living room, shivering, trying to find a few good reasons not to remove my soaking wet robe, shirt, and pants. My mother was not accepting any of my excuses. I changed clothes, and walked up to my room to wait for breakfast to be ready while Amy went to put our wet clothes in the washer. I laid back on my bed, sighing. I sat up quickly as I heard my door open, smiling as Aleena entered. " Hi Tomias. Your mom says it will be about 30 minutes before breakfast is ready. Want to do something while we wait?" I didn't quite understand her question, so I sought to rephrase it. " You mean perform an activity to pass the time?" She nodded. " What did you have in mind?" She smirked strangely, letting a sly grin slip in there. " Well, Cream and Tails are here... maybe we could play 'house' ?" I shook my head vigorously, not wishing to partake in that activity, knowing what role I would be given. She laughed a bit. " Just kidding! I'll go see if Tails has any ideas." She got on the bed and kissed me before leaving for wherever Tails and Cream were. Probably sitting in the big chairs in the living room.

Apparently Aleena got caught up in conversation, I fell asleep, and breakfast was a bit late. I was awakened about fifteen minutes after the estimated time that had been given to me. I walked downstairs to the smell of bacon, waffles, and fresh-poured milk. I climbed into my chair at the head of the table, and waited for everyone else to be served before I obtained my food, as I prefered to be the last to be served. My mother attempted to raise a conversation with Tails, who was in the middle of attempting to stuff half of his waffle in his mouth while Sally scolded him on using proper ettiquet. " Tails? Where is your tall blue friend, Fangor? We haven't seen him for months... Something may be wrong with him." After Sally finished cutting up his waffle into more manageable peices and being thoroughly lectured on the neccessities of ettiquet, he finally returned his answer. " We don't know where he is... He'll turn up sooner or later, though. Don't worry about it." She nodded grimly, and the meal continued in silence.

**Flaura's POV**

We arrived at the mall without an incididents, when I realized something quite crucial. " What's wrong, Flaura?" Amy inquired when she saw me staring at the ground, frowning while we were sitting in the food court. I shook my head. " I just realized I do not know what my son is interested in... Does that make me a bad parent?" Amy placed her hand on my shoulder and gave me a look of sympathy, with the slightest hint of humor. " Of course not! It just means you haven't gotten to know your son very well yet. Don't worry. I'll help ya." I smiled and nodded. " Thank you, Amy." She waved her hand dismissively. " No problem! After we eat we'll stop by the book store to see if we can find a book he hasn't read yet." With that, she got up and headed over to one of the many food counters. _I'm glad my son has friends like you, Amy Rose..._

After a few hours of looking through the large bookstore, we managed to procure three books that miracurously he had yet to read, according to Amy. " How much does he read?" I asked her. She giggled as we headed towards the Blades, Swords, and Other Medeivel Weapons shop to pick up something for Fangor. " On average, before he read every book in the Knothole library, around three thousand a day." I shuddered to think how much knowledge of our past had been left with him when the castle had been destroyed one thousand years ago. How much of it he knew was a mystery to me. " You okay?" Amy said, noticing I had stopped. I shook my head dismissively. " Just lost in my thoughts, Amy." We continued into the shop, which was all dusky inside with a lightning kintushian sleeping behind the counter. Amy walked up and down the isles, muttering under her breath as she leaned in to inspect each one whilst I stood near the door, shaking vigorously. The Kintushian finally woke up, noticing he had customers. " 'Ey? Can I 'elp ya, 'addies?" He said, groggily. Amy walked up to the counter, casting a worried look in my direction. " We're looking for a sword that Fangor doesn't have yet... would you happen to know of one?" He looked towards the back for a moment, and then turned back to Amy. " Aye, I believe so. Try the Thardin Blade, there in the back, 'ey?" Amy walked to the back of the shop, then yelled to the front, " Is it the big one with the blade that's wide in the middle?" The Kintushian shouted back a yes, and Amy promptly dragged it up to the front and handed it to the clerk. " That'll be five hundred thousand mobiums, miss." She handed him my son's credit holder, which he had let her borrow for the Christmas shopping. " He nodded, pressed a few buttons on it, and promptly handed it back. " The sword will be waiting for ye as you leave the mall. Good'ay, miss." With that, we left to get Aleena's gift, and my shaking stopped as I turned away from the swords.

**Green Lightning's POV**

I was browsing what Tails called the 'internet', looking at many different maps of Mobius, while Tails pointed out many different landmarks, including a few that had yet to be updated, such as 'Mystic Ruins', and 'Mobotropolis'. " They're way out of date, but the geography is amazingly accurate." He stated. I nodded and continued examining the area around where the mystic ruins were, being startled when Aleena hugged me from behind. She giggled as I recovered. " Watcha looking at?" She said. " Maps of Mobius... They are not up to date, however." She pointed at what the screen was centered on. " What's that?" " It is the altar of the Master Chaos Emerald, located on Angel Island." I began closing the browser windows, and heard the front door open as I shut down the computer. " We're home!" Amy shouted from downstairs. I stretched and yawned, getting up and heading downstairs with Aleena. When we got there the presents were already hidden. " Here, Tomias. Not sure how much you have left on it." Amy said as she handed back my credit holder. I stored it in my temporal vortex and sat down in one of the e-z chairs in the living room. " Lunch will be ready soon, kids. Go ahead and wait in the dining room." We all walked in, and lunch was already at the table by the time I climbed into my chair. It was a strange white square with some purplish-brown stuff in it. It tasted good, but I was still confused as to what it was. " What is this?" I said halfway through eating it. " It's called a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich." Amy replied. " It tastes good. Thank you." I said. She smiled and nodded, leaving the room while we ate.

Soon afterward we were sent outside to play with the rest of the kids in the neighborhood. Tails and I walked along, talking about what we had seen on the maps and the differences between the time period they shown and the way the world was now, while Aleena and Cream started building a 'snowman' whatever that was. Somehow Tails and myself wound up in the schoolyard, which was empty at the time. We turned to leave, only to find three kids, looking to be about 16, were barring the exit and grinning rather menacingly. " Well, well, well... Looks like we got a couple of babies out of place today..." Said the biggest one that seemed to be the leader. The other two, which Tails later referred to as his 'cronies' laughed at his comment. " They're gonna need to change their diapers when we're done with them, 'ey, boys?" They laughed again, and each of them brought out a club and began stepping towards Tails and myself. We began backing towards a corner, when a large streak of blue came from nowhere, and sent the bullies flying into the chainlink fence that surrounded the schoolyard. When the streak stopped, there stood the only person we knew to be faster than Sonic... Fangor. Both Tails and myself breathed a sigh of relief as the bullies ran off. " Thanks, Fangor. You showed up just in time." I said. He nodded, then turned towards his home. " I'll be back later to check up on you, Tails. Stay safe." With that, he walked away, muttering under his breath about the snow. " Aww... does the little baby need a diaper change?" Came a familiar voice from behind us, followed by a snicker. " What now, Shadow?" I said, annoyed. " Nothing, sprout. Just wanted to watch a good fight. I'm kinda disapointed that Fangor showed up when he did..." I shrugged my shoulders as Tails and I left for my house. It had taken us several hours to get to the schoolyard, and by the time we got back it was already dark outside, and Amy stood at the door glaring at us with impatience. " Miles 'Tails' Prower! Where have you two been!" She said, making Tails cringe as we approached. " Well, the baby and his escort nearly got the stuffing beat out of them by some bullies when Fangor showed up to save them." Came Shadow's answer as he walked past us, only to get smacked by Amy's hammer. " Quit being mean to him, Shadow! You know he doesn't like being called a baby!" Shadow opened his mouth to speak again, but seeing Amy raise her hammer changed his mind as he rushed inside in a panic. " Come on in... supper is ready." We nodded as we entered the door, eager to get out of the cold.

Supper consisted of warm chicken noodle soup which Amy had made in case either of us caught a cold or something similar. We ate in silence, not one of us even mentioning Fangor's return. Not even Sally knew why he had left for so long, nor why he had returned. Doubtlessly the Christmas party would be held at his house again, now that he was back. Aleena had decided to spend the night with us so that nobody would have to go over to her house and wake her up for the christmas party. There was a nock at the door and when Amy returned from answering it, she shuddered before answering. " Fangor says that it is predicted to get down to negative 73 degrees tonight, so I suggest staying under the covers. Tomias? Would you mind if Aleena shared your bed tonight?" " I would not mind, miss Rose." I said as I headed for bed, leaving my shoes and robe by the door. Aleena soon entered, climbing under the covers and huddling close to me as the night quickly chilled. " Are you cold?" I whispered. " I'm warm enough as long as you are here with me..." She said. With that, we drifted off to sleep, each in the others arms, oblivious to the cold outside.

**Fangor's POV**

I stood on the roof of my house awaiting the arrival of my friends that would be attending the party. We planned on it being a small one since Robotnik was once again on the loose. It was about 7 in the morning when everyone started arriving. I quickly lit the fireplace and aided in the kitchen, putting the food out as it finished being prepared. After lunch we opened presents, myself obtaining a new sword to add to my collection, while Green Lightning obtained some new books and a few upgrades to his computer (courtesy of Tails and Rotor), Tails got some sunglasses from Shadow and some new shoes from Sonic, to replace his old ones that were wearing out. Amy, Cream, and Aleena obtained new cell phones, and Shadow, as usual, was rewarded with a smack to the head with Amy's hammer for calling Green Lightning a baby again and spent the rest of the day hiding from her. Amy and Sonic managed to get Tails and Cream under the mistletoe, with Knuckles having a camera ready. Shortly thereafter, Green Lightning experienced the same predicament. Before everyone left, Green Lightning and Sonic were assigned to surveilance as soon as the weather turned warm. I had a feeling that something bad was going to happen, but I ignored it. I mostly went on facts, not superstitions or things that I couldn't explain... As everyone left, in the night, when I could not see, I stood on the roof, awaiting the dawn... _Your reign of tyranny draws to an end, Robotnik... Prepare yourself for defeat..._

END OF CHAPTER

Author's notes:

Pay close attention to that last paragraph... it will hint on what will be coming up next... And in case you haven't noticed, I delight in having Amy beat on Shadow (don't ask why... I just do) and for some odd reason I didn't send Green Lightning to the hospital this chapter... oh well. I'll make up for it next chapter. By the way, sorry it took so long. I've been lazy lately. (runs while his angry fans try to kill him)

Green Lightning: Please do not forget to review! Gamerdude likes hearing input from those who read this. Hmm? Coming Aleena!

Fangor: Also, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, either put them in review, or post it at his Fanartcentral account. And do not, I repeat, DO NOT give him any ideas on 'hooking me up' with a girl... I prefer being alone in that aspect.

Shadow: What! You let the baby put a comment at the end credits and not me! Grr! YIKES! (runs from Amy with her hammer out, swinging like mad)

Aleena: Well, stay tuned. He'll try his best to get the next chapter up quickly. Bye for now! (waves)


	19. Guardian of the forest part 3: Chapter 2

Like I said in the previous chapter, I'm not going to give anything away, but be prepared for a few surprises. And, lest you all forget, I do not own Aleena or Sonic and his friends. Aleena is owned by Angel-Tails from Fanartcentral, and the sonic cast is owned by Sega. Fangor and Green lightning are owned by me. I also do not claim ownership of the Black Robe gang (at least I wish I could say that) Well, I shouldn't keep you waiting any longer. On to chapter 2 of part 3.

**Part 3: chapter 2: Of Suffering and Discovery**

Character ages:

Fangor Thunderbolt: 16-February 18

Miles 'Tails' Prower: 7-January 30

Green Lightning: 6-February 18

Flaura Dimitri: 23-?

Alkinin Dimitri: 25-?

Sally Acorn: 12-may 3

Sonic Hedgehog: 14-August 9

Amy Rose: 12-August 19

Rotor: 13-November 9

Bunny Rabbot: 13-January 8

Anthonie: 13-April 17

Shadow: 14-March 26

Knuckles: 14-June 9

Rouge: 13-June 17

Dr. Quack: 38- April 29

Aleena Prower: 13- October 8

Esna: 23- May 11

Leadfoot: 23- May 29

Angel: 18- August 2

Becca: 17- August 9

Tiffany: 6- January 1

**March 6**

**Green Lightning's POV**

I woke up early in the morning to get ready for my surveilance of Robotnik's base with Sonic. This was the first warm day since August and we were going to spend an entire week monitering the activity and looking for a weak point in the new disentigration shield. I had to be ready before dawn, so Mother was already up making breakfast while Sonic waited outside with the camping gear we would need for the 'stake-out'. I pulled back the cover and got dressed, grabbing my amulets and robe before heading downstairs. I stepped into the dining room and sat at the table next to Aleena, who was currently caught up in conversation with Fangor. Sonic was already at the opposite end of the table, a plate of chilidogs in front of him with several other empty plates nearby. My mother came in shortly and set a plate of pancakes down in front of me before heading back into the kitchen as I began eating. Amy soon came in, pushing Tails in front of her. He was looking quite sleeply, having obviously stayed up into the late hours of the night working on his machines... I shook my head. They relied far too much on technology, in my opinion. She managed to get him into a chair and shoved a bowl of oatmeal in front of him before going to help in the kitchen.

Soon I was done eating and starting to pack while Sonic stood outside showing his impatience, tapping his foot and checking his watch every now and then. "I'm waaaaiiiiiitttttiiiinnngg!" He said as I stepped out the door with my backpack loaded with most of what we would need for the stake-out. I pulled out a map as we walked towards the edge of Knothole, making sure that we were headed straight towards where we were supposed to be on surveilance. We managed to arrive by nightfall, avoiding several swatbot patrols, only being spotted once. Sonic quickly dispatched them, but they seemed to have tougher armor than usual.

While Sonic was busy setting up camp I took out the binoculars and laid down in the tall grass to start observing Robotnik's base. After about just an hour of watching and having no results, I started getting tired and backed out of the grass and into the camp before handing the binoculars to Sonic. He nodded and walked into the grass, soon disapearing as he got deep within. I turned around and sat next to the fire for a few minutes to warm myself up before starting to lay down. Almost immediately I heard, " Intruder alert! Priorty two: Miles Prower!" I quickly looked around for the swatbot and Tails just before having something very heavy slam into my head. The last thing I saw before losing consciousness was a pair of large metallic feet... those of a swatbot, but with different coloring.

**Sonic's POV**

When I came out of the grass the kid was gone, heavy footprints heading towards Robotnik's base... _Looks like we've got another rescue mission on our hands..._ I packed up camp quickly, making sure to leave no trace that we had ever been there. _If Robotnik manages to robotosize that kid, we're in for some big trouble..._ I immediately ran back to Knothole, jumping in through an open window into Green Lightning's house. Everyone turned and looked at me in shock, not expecting either of us back so soon. "They've captured him!" I yelled. Aleena gasped and then started crying, Knuckles grinned, cracking his... well, his knuckles. What else? Fangor stood up calmly and headed out the door to address the issue to Sally while Amy started on me for letting him out of my sight. Tails and Cream were trying to console Aleena while Shadow... Ugh! Why did we ever give him all those cameras and camcorders! He was standing there, smirking while recording my lecture from Amy and taking photographs while he was at it. Suddenly the front door burst open, cutting her lecture short as Fangor marched in, followed by Sally carrying a large rolled-up map. We all went to the dinner table as she and Fangor rolled the map out. Amazingly, it was the entire inner and outer workings of Robotnik's base, including the forcefield. It showed that there were fluctuations throughout the entire forecefield where it shut off for about a second at a time, in steady intervals. "Every sixty seconds the forcefield is penetrable, but only for a second... We'll need to send Sonic, Shadow, and Fangor for this mission. And that does not mean that you two get to fight, Sonic and Shadow! This is a rescue mission of top priority! Now MOVE!" Immediately Shadow, Fangor, and myself started running for Robotnik's base, avoiding hearing the end of Amy's lecture.

**Green Lightning's POV**

I woke up in a small, dimly lit cell that was not kept in the best of conditions. I immediately grabbed my head as the throbbing pain returned, letting me know that a sword-armed swatbot kicking me last night hadn't been a dream. I took a quick look around, but found no means of escape, not even a window to the outside. The bed in the corner was large, but full of holes and what was left was very tattered. I stood up, my legs shaky, to notice that my robe and amulets were gone, and all I was wearing now was diaper. I sighed to myself. _They could of at least left me my dignity..._ I moved away from the wall about four feet before I was pulled to the ground by a force from behind. I turned around to find I was shackled to a large metallic ball that was much heavier than I was. I sighed and sat down, pulling my knees up to my chest. _How am I going to get out of this mess..._ I thought to myself just before the cell door opened. They shoved in an elderly rabbit, along with a hedgehog and a young fox that immediately tried to turn around and bite the sword-armed swatbot, but instead got a taste of the bars as the cell door closed. All three were dressed mostly in rags, with the elderly man at least wearing a traveller's cloak and carrying a walking stick. I peered into the gloom and groaned, seeing my belongings on a shelf about five feet off the ground, within sight of the cell doors. I grimaced, noticing that my groan had attracted the attention of the other three that had been thrown in. Immediately the hedgehog, a dim orange from what I could tell with the little lighting I had, pulled out a lockpick from behind his ear and came over. I backed away slightly, still shaken up from waking in captivity. He smiled and shook his head, grabbing my left hand and moving the lockpick towards it. I looked down towards my hands and noticed that they too, had been shackled, but the chain on them was long and not very heavy. It didn't take him long to remove the cuffs, soon lifting up my left ankle to dispose of the shackles binding my legs to each other and then to the heavy metal ball.

I shook myself, glad to have freedom of movement again. The hedgehog smiled and motioned for the other two to gather around. "So, what's your name, kid?" I smiled, faintly, still weary from being within Robotnik's base, let alone in a cell with no visible means of escape. " I am Tomias Dimitri of the Kingdom of Mystics, but my friends call me Green Lightning." The hedgehog nodded slightly, then smiled. " Well, I'm known as Alex." He turned to the other two, then back to me. " The kid here is called Little Richard-" The young fox looked offended and irritated. " It's just plain Richard, thank you very much!" Alex laughed a bit and smiled. " Alright! Alright! Sorry. Anyways, he's Richard. And the old guy here..." The elderly rabbit stood up, slightly bent due to the low ceiling. "I am Gerthrux Cain, a wandering monk. I joined these two when they were out adventuring, and we've been on the road ever since, looking for whatever odd-jobs a band of would-be heroes might find. Sadly, we were captured shortly after fending off some large metallic creatures outside a small village. One of them took Alex from behind by surprise, and we went down soon after. We awoke on the way here, but without our swords, fighting back was useless. Now that we have told you what we are in for, what, praytell, is a toddler such as you doing in such a cramped cell?" I shook my head. "I was doing surveilance for the Freedom Fighters with Sonic-" Alex's eyebrow raised. "THE Sonic? Faster than the naked eye and such?" I nodded and continued." When I was hit from behind by something large and heavy. I don't know much else except that I woke up here." They all nodded, then the elderly rabbit thought for a moment before sticking the tip of his staff out the cell bars and hooked it onto my robe, bringing it into the cell and handing it to me. " Well, at least we can give you your dignity back, even if we can't break you out of here." I nodded as I slipped my robe back on, comforted by it's familiarity. "Thank ye, kind sir." I said, just before the ground started shaking lightly from heavy footsteps.

The other three imediately crowded around me as if to shield me from view. The cell door opened and the other three were knocked to the ground and shackled, being dragged off by a few of the normal swatbots before another, slightly lighter in make and fashion grabbed me and dragged me in the same direction. As we passed my amulets and backpack, I quickly called out to them and they disapeared, equiping themselves on me as I tried to get to my feet. We were led to a dark room, with only the center lit. We were tightly held by the swatbots, my wrists hurting as I struggled against the grasp of mine. " Welcome, gentlemen to my palace! Prepare to witness what happens to all that oppose me! Bring forth that stupid little fox that's been hampering many of my schemes lately! You're going to be a demonstration, Tails!" I was immediately hoisted off the ground and thrown into the midle of the spotlight. I stood up, just as a cylindrical tube of metal began rising from the ground around me. Before the tube reached the ceiling the tube split in half, the metal smoking from the friction as a hand reached down into the tube and grabbed me roughly, blurring the scenery as the owner bolted out of there, two other blurs in the distance as swatbot fire went everywhere. My head slammed into a metal post that managed to fall from the ceiling and I spent the rest of the trip unconcious.

I woke up in the hospital the next day, still a bit woozy from the blow to the head, but otherwise fine. Fangor was sitting beside the bed, lost in thought, while Shadow paced in front of the doorway, looking slightly nervous. Fangor's head shot up as footsteps were heard coming down the hall. Amy, Sally, Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Cream walked into the room, with varying expressions, from Sonic's boredom to Cream's frantic worry. Sally threw an envelope onto my bed, gritting her teeth a bit. I turned it over and noticed Robotnik's standard seal, and glared at it as though I was attempting to make it catch fire with my gaze alone. I pealed away the seal and opened the envelope...

Dear Knothole Freedom Fighters,

I am wishing to call a truce due to the mounting casualties on both sides of this war. I am wanting your main leaders, supporters, legions... whatever you want to call them to meet me at Blood Field tommorrow at midnight. As far as the 'main people' I believe these are them:

Fangor- Your brute force and speed. Obviously important.

Sonic- Quick and impulsive.

Tails- Your top mechanist and second only to me in intelligence.

Sally- Your leader and main supporter of your cause.

Amy- Since she's going to come anyways because Sonic's coming.

Shadow- For reasons that I will reveal later.

Knuckles- Strong, gullible, hot-headed... good for a laugh.

Cream- Your main voice of kindness amongst your insane bloodshed.

In addition to these, you may only bring ONE OTHER. Any more and I will massacre you and your pathetic resistance.

Your emperor, Robotnik

I handed the envelope and letter to Sally and stood up, fully rejuvinated. " Sally, I request to be that 'one other'." Sally sadly nodded. " There is one other thing." Fangor piped up, his eyes closed and staring at the floor as though he was deep in concentration. Everyone looked at him. " I have not sensed any Mystic presences except for Aleena and Green Lightning for the past fifteen hours and seven minutes. I believe that they have all returned to their castle." I shrugged my shoulders slightly. " We were never much for wars. I think that they are hoping the freedom fighters are what is needed to put an end to Robotnik's tyrrany." Fangor smirked. " Well, if worse comes to worst, we won't have a choice but to eliminate him." I nodded grimly. I knew that Fangor would have no qualms if it was the only choice, but I knew different. Something kept telling me there was a way to turn him to the light, and I was going to cling to that till the last possible moment. Sally smiled slightly. " So it's settled then. We'll be leaving at nine tonight. Meet us at the center of Knothole. We'll head out from there." Fangor stood up, his face serious with all four eyes open. " Be ready for a fight. I'm not entirely sure we can trust Robotnik not to pull any tricks." With that, we left the hospital.

**9:00 PM**

I ran to the center of town, making it there just as everyone else did. We wasted no time with discussing it. We just started walking towards Blood Field, the stretch of land that used to be rich, luscious grass, but now was nothing but a blood-soaked field. A painful reminder of just what Kintushian wars can do.

It took us almost two and a half hours to get there, and we could see Robotnik in one if his giant robotic mechs, the Death egg from the looks of it, heading our way with his Kintushian lackey, the prince of the ice kintushians riding on it's shoulder. Robotnik grinned from his seat. " Well, well, well. You actually showed up. This shows just how foolish all of you are. Did you actually think I would pass up the chance to crush your petty resistance once and for all?" He said as eighteen robots materialized, looking all too familiar... one of them we had seen before, but it had been remodeled. the other seventeen had been made in the same fashion... copies intended to defeat the originals. Silver and metal versions... of ourselves. We had figured out his plan, but were we too late?..

**End Chapter**

Sorry if I seem to be cutting this chapter short. I wanted to leave you all in suspense and have enough material left over for the next few chapters. Please read and review. Thank you.


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